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WASHINGTON, July 17 (Reuters) - Abby Wambach suffered a broken leg during the United States' 1-0 victory over Brazil in San Diego on Wednesday and will miss the Olympics in Beijing, officials said.
Wambach, the USA's leading scorer this year with 13 goals, fractured the tibia and fibula in her left leg during a collision in the 31st minute.
"Obviously, it's devastating, but above everything else, I'm only one player, and you can never win a championship with just one player," Wambach said in a statement.
"I have the utmost confidence in this team bringing home the gold."
Wambach will have surgery on Thursday to have a titanium rod inserted into her leg, U.S. soccer officials said, adding that her recovery time will likely be about three months.
Wambach, 28, has led the reigning Olympic champions in scoring in the last three world championships and has scored 99 goals in 127 games.
