With the Pressure Mounting, Should Abby Wambach Start for the USWNT vs. China?

Abby Wambach entered the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup with a burning desire to win her first World Cup trophy in Canada. 

But since her arrival north of the border in early June, Wambach has been the subject of discussion for all of the wrong reasons. 

The scorer of 183 international goals, 14 of which have come in World Cup matches, has left fans and herself wanting more through four games, which leads us to ask: Should she start for the United States women's national team against China? 

Before we get into all the off-field drama that has surrounded the 35-year-old over the past few weeks, let's dive into her performance on the pitch itself. 

In the USWNT's Group D opener against Australia, Wambach looked like a shell of her former self in front of the goal as she missed a few headed attempts that she usually finishes. Fortunately for the forward, she was bailed out by the performances of Hope Solo and Megan Rapinoe as well as the pace of the game, which favored the Americans late in the second half. 

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Wambach's lack of finishing landed her on the bench for the clash with Sweden, but she returned to a starting role against Nigeria. When she struck the back of the net off a corner right before the halftime whistle of the third group game, all seemed to be corrected. But that was not the case, as we witnessed Monday night. 

As Wambach stepped to the spot seconds after Colombia goalkeeper Catalina Perez was sent off for the denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity, many, if not all, of the fans watching thought she would score the USWNT's first goal. 

What happened next was uncharacteristic of her career but a perfect representation of her tournament to date. Wambach's shot soared to the left and failed to hit the target. Once again, she was bailed out for her mistake by Alex Morgan five minutes later. 

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Now with a crucial match against China ahead on Friday in the quarterfinals, USWNT boss Jill Ellis has a bit of a problem on her hands with the team's top forward. 

Wambach has been able to pop up in space during the competition, but her final touch has been lacking for the most part. The last thing any coach wants to see at this stage in the tournament is a forward wasting her chances, which may come few and far between against an organized China defense. 

Ellis has a few other options at the position—including Morgan, Sydney Leroux and Christen Press—if she chooses to go in that direction. Another reason, outside of performance on the field, to bench Wambach would be for her off-pitch comments throughout the World Cup. 

After the Sweden game, Wambach sparked a bit of controversy when she commented on the playing surface, which many women were opposed to long before the tournament began. 

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"I think I score if we're on grass. The ball as it comes off my head against Sweden hits a dry turf and bounces higher," Wambach told reporters during the group stage, per ESPN's Jeff Carlisle. "If it hits grass, it's harder for a goalkeeper to react, so if the ball bounces higher the goalkeeper has more time to react off the turf."

However, she did add this when discussing the turf issue: 

"Championship teams are the team that are able to deal with all things, in all moments, in all sorts of ways," Wambach said.

To her credit, Wambach scored in the game following the comments, but she wasn't done there. Following the round-of-16 victory over Colombia, Wambach was critical of the referee, who handed out yellows to Lauren Holiday and Rapinoe. Both midfielders are suspended for the quarterfinal game versus China due to yellow-card accumulation. 

"It seemed like she was purposefully giving those yellows to the players she knew were sitting on yellows. I don't know if it was just a psychological thing. Who knows?" Wambach said, per Martin Rogers of USA Today. 

A day later, Wambach took the time out to clarify her comments in an interview with Fox Soccer: 

Despite that, Kurtis Larson of the Toronto Sun feels Wambach should be carpeted by FIFA for her comments:

"

When Christine Sinclair questioned referee Christina Pedersen's integrity amid a controversial semifinal loss to the United States during the 2012 Olympics, Canada's best player was issued a four-match ban for "unsporting behaviour."

With that precedent in mind, there's no reason why American striker Abby Wambach—despite issuing an impassioned apology late Tuesday night—shouldn't receive a similar punishment for recklessly blasting French referee Stephanie Frappart following Monday night's Women's World Cup second-round win.

"

Some may interpret Wambach's comments while in Canada as an attempt to distract the talk away from her poor play and the lack of creativity in the entire USWNT squad at the moment. Sure, deflecting attention from your teammates is a good thing, but when you're not scoring yourself, the questions begin to swirl a bit. 

Wambach was criticized for her choice to skip the start of the club season to prepare for the World Cup. Most thought she would round into form just as the Yanks needed her most. But that hasn't been the case at all, and now her position in the starting lineup is at risk. 

"At this stage of my career, I know what I need to prepare mentally and physically for this summer. My sole focus is to help bring a World Cup back to the U.S.," Wambach said, per the Associated Press via espnW, after her decision.

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The Yanks can't afford to miss any chances, or make any excuses, at this point in the World Cup. With that in mind, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Wambach sit to start the match. Instead of trying to provide the USWNT with a quality start, she could focus on entering as a substitute with fresh legs in a role that might suit her better. 

Although the pressure will still be there, Wambach won't have to worry about resting her legs at some point during the match if she starts. If she is handed a 20- or 30-minute shift late in the match, she will be able to go full throttle with nothing standing in her way. 

Regardless of her role in Friday's match, one thing remains the same, and that is the pressure. Although she might not be able to correct everything that's occurred over the last month with one game-winning goal, Wambach will put herself on the path to redemption if she nets a key strike that propels the Yanks into the semifinals. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.