US soccer legend Abby Wambach admits to taking cocaine

Former US Women's soccer captain and all-time leading scorer Abby Wambach has admitted taking cocaine and smoking marijuana, according to court documents relating to her arrest for drunk driving.

The World Cup winner and two-time Olympic champion was arraigned on Tuesday in Multnomah County Circuit Court, Oregon.

Wambach, 35, did not attend, but her attorney entered a plea of not guilty on her behalf.

Following her arrest, Wambach told police officers she used marijuana for the first time when she was 24 and tried cocaine when she was 25.

She also reported her last marijuana use was when she was 25.

Wambach made her debut for the US women's national team in September 2001, when she was aged 21.  

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One of Wambach's sponsors, MINI USA, confirmed it was withdrawing adverts featuring the former soccer player.

"This behaviour 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,"

During an appearance at the University of Kentucky on Tuesday night, Wambach did not specifically address the arrest, but did say she was “embarrassed” for herself, family, friends and fans.

She also took to Twitter to confirm her lawyer had entered a not guilty plea and that she was “owning” the situation.

Wambach appeared in four World Cups during her 15 years with the national team, winning the competition in 2015.

She also has Olympic gold medals from the 2004 Games in Athens and the 2012 Games in London.

Wambach is the leading international career scorer – male or female – with 184 goals.