The soccer world knew there would come a moment during the second half of Wednesday’s game between the United States and China when the fourth official would hold up the electronic board used to indicate substitutions and Abby Wambach would walk off the field.

It just wasn’t supposed to be a strategic substitution. It wasn’t supposed to matter. But if what happened in sports was always and only what was supposed to happen, the career that came to a close in a stunning but ultimately meaningless defeat wouldn’t have meant nearly as much as it did.

The 0-1 loss against China was the U.S.’s first loss at home since a 3-1 defeat against Denmark in 2004, one of only two times in Wambach’s career that the Americans lost a game in which she scored. It was the first shutout loss at home since a 3-0 loss against Germany in the semifinals of the 2003 World Cup. The end of streaks that long matter historically. But not as much as the end of something else.

Wednesday, December 16 marked the last day Abby Wambach would step onto the field and play with the United States Women’s National team. “Today wasn’t about getting a result,” Wambach said. “It was about celebrating, not just my career but the chances that I’ve had with all my other teammates and the time that I’ve spent with them.”

Wambach wasn’t the only one that felt that way. Many of her teammates felt the need to help her score the 185th goal of her career. “I love my teammates for wanting to give me the sendoff that we all envisioned, but I think it’s kind of symbolic,” Wambach said. “You get 70 minutes, and we don’t score a goal. For me, it’s like, OK, it’s time to step away. The symbolism in it for me is amazing.”

So up went the board and off came Wambach — replaced, posterity will note, by Christen Press. And the Wambach era came to a close. In defeat but not despair.

If winning was easy, this team wouldn’t matter as much as it does.

If scoring goals was easy, Wambach wouldn’t be a legend.

“I think that the best part of this team is that the winning and losing is kind of part of the search,” Wambach said. “What happens when you do lose? How do you face that? What character does the team have? What’s the environment? … I think this loss tonight was the first time we’ve lost on U.S. soil in a pretty long while.

Wambach was and will always be an inspiration to the people around the world but she was the biggest inspiration to her teammates. For many of them it was difficult saying goodbye and brought tears to their eyes because Wambach was the heart of the team and the captain that brought the team together.

In a video of tribute to Wambach, Carli Lloyd said, “You’ve been a champion through and through. You’ve put your body on the line, you’ve scored some amazing goals. You’ve put the team on your shoulders. But the stuff we’re really going to miss and what I’m going to miss is what you do off the field. Those are some special times that I will cherish, that I will always remember you for.”

Hope Solo agreed with Lloyd, “I’ll be looking back and it won’t be times on the field that I remember, it’s going to be everything that I’ve learned from you off the field that made me a better person and opened my mind to allow me to enjoy life more.”

For Sydney Leroux saying goodbye was very emotional because Abby Wambach is a legend in her eyes, a hero, an American hero and it wasn’t easy for her to watch Wambach walk away. Leroux tells her story, “In the 2012 Olympics, when I scored my first goal, I got the ball down the left side and I felt my defender fall and it was just me and the goalkeeper. And I was looking for Abby and she pointed. ‘Go go go go’ and I shot it and I scored. And she said that she only did that because she believed in me. She believed in people when they didn’t believe in themselves.”

Abby Wambach is a legacy and has made an impact on the world, especially the soccer world. She will never be forgotten, as player and as an inspiration off the field. Good luck to her in the next chapter of her life, you will be missed by many.

“You never know if you actually do something against all odds until you actually do it” -Abby Wambach