Retired soccer star Abby Wambach arrested on DUI charge

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Monday, April 4, 2016

Soccer star Abby Wambach was arrested early Sunday on a DUI charge in Portland, Oregon.

Portland police said Wambach, 35, was pulled over at 11:05 p.m. local time Saturday after failing to stop for a red light. She was arrested after failing a field sobriety test and was taken to Portland's Central Precinct, where she failed a breath test.

Wambach was booked at 2:02 a.m. local time Sunday and charged with misdemeanor DUII (driving under the influence of intoxicants), according to the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office. She was released on her own recognizance and was described as being "polite and cooperative" with police.

She apologized for the incident on Facebook.

Her court appearance on the charge will be Tuesday morning.

One of Wambach's sponsors, MINI USA, said Sunday night that it was withdrawing ads for the automobile that feature Wambach.

"This behavior is against the values we promote as an organization, and the safety of everyone on the road is a priority here at MINI," the company said in a statement. "Because of this, we are re-evaluating her association with the brand and are pulling content that individually features Abby from our marketing. We will continue to assess the situation and weigh our options.''

The leading career scorer -- male or female -- in international soccer, Wambach announced her retirement in October.

Wambach said before the World Cup last summer in Canada that she wanted to cap her 15-year career with the game's most prestigious championship. She got her wish, as the United States claimed its third World Cup title and first since 1999 with a 5-2 victory over Japan.

Wambach appeared in four World Cups with the national team. She also has a pair of Olympic gold medals from the 2004 Games in Athens and the 2012 Games in London. She did not compete in the Beijing Olympics because of a broken leg.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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