The 35-year-old, who retired in December of last year after scoring an international record 184 goals, was arrested in Portland in Oregon after being seen running a red light, according to local police.

After failing field sobriety tests, Wambach was transported to the Central Precinct in downtown Portland, where she failed a breathalyser test.

She was "polite and cooperative throughout the investigation", police said, and was later released.

"Those that know me, know that I have always demanded excellence from myself," said Wambach in a statement on Facebook.

"I have let myself down and others down.

"I take full responsibility for my actions.

"This is all on me.

"I promise that I will do whatever it takes to ensure that my horrible mistake is never repeated.

"I am so sorry to my family, friends, fans and those that look to follow a better example."

Wambach was part of the American sides that won Olympic gold medals at Athens 2004 and London 2012 and she also helped her country lift last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada. 

She was named the 2012 FIFA Women's World Player of the Year and is also a six-time US Soccer Female Athlete of the Year winner.

US men’s internationals Alejandro Bedoya and Jozy Altidore have been criticised for aiming fun at Wambach following her arrest.

In response to Fox Soccer’s tweet breaking the news, Colombian-American Bedoya wrote: "@FoxSoccer must've been a foreign American player's fault".

The remark is believed to be in reference to comments made by Wambach before her final game in December, when she called for Germany’s Jurgen Klinsmann - the US men’s team manager since 2011 - to be sacked for playing too many "foreign guys".

Altidore responded to Bedoya’s tweet: "@AleBedoya17 should've used one of the team vans. Lol". 

His comments appear to be in reference to an incident involving women’s international goalkeeper Hope Solo, who along with her husband - former NFL player Jeremy Stevens - was stopped by police in January 2015 while Stevens was driving a US Soccer team van.

Stevens was subsequently arrested and charged with driving under the influence.

Bedoya has defended his comments and suggested that Wambach deserves to be reproached for her actions.

"So, what I'm learning now via Twitter is that some people value athletic achievement more than human life.... Got that," he wrote.

"And if you can dish out criticism, like make xenophobic comments, than I'm sure you can take criticism also when you mess up.

"I almost forgot that I have to be politically correct because I'm an athlete. We're human. Abby took full responsibility. Good."