Abby Wambach, Megan Rapinoe to donate brains to concussion research

As the link between concussions and degenerative brain diseases continues to grow stronger, two more soccer stars have agreed to donate their brains to concussion research.

All-time leading scorer Abby Wambach and U.S. midfield fixture Megan Rapinoe made their announcements this week at Ohio State, The Lantern reported.

Wambach, 35, said she was following the lead of fellow retired soccer player Brandi Chastain, who said in early March that she planned to donate her brain to concussion research.

Wambach especially will an interesting study since she is one of the most aggressive and successful strikers in women's soccer history and used her head to score numerous goals throughout her career.

She retired in December after she and Rapinoe helped the United States win the Women's World Cup title. Throughout her career, Wambach scored 184 international goals, the most in history among men and women.

Rapinoe, 30, is still one of the world's top players. She suffered a torn ACL in December, putting into doubt her readiness to play for the U.S. in the 2016 Rio Olympics.