American Abby Wambach, whose 184 goals make her the top scorer in international football history, retired with a bang on Wednesday, saying the US Soccer Federation should sack men's coach Jurgen Klinsmann.

The 35-year-old striker helped the Americans win this year's Women's World Cup. Her comments on Klinsmann overshadowed her final match, in which the United States fell 1-0 to China in a friendly in New Orleans on Wednesday night. She was honoured by US Soccer before the match but it was Wambach's own controversial comments that defined her farewell.

She even apologised to US Soccer president Sunil Gulati for remarks on a podcast blasting Klinsmann, the man charged with getting the US men to the 2018 World Cup in Russia. "I would definitely fire Jurgen," Wambach said. "Sorry Sunil. Sorry US Soccer, but I don't think Jurgen and this litmus test on him has worked."