PORTLAND – You CAN get there from here.

Essentially, that’s what Abby Wambach told a crowd of soccer players Thursday.

Long before the U.S. National Team, long before the Olympics and before women’s professional leagues, Wambach played in numerous US Youth Soccer Region I Championships. Now as one of the world’s premier players, Wambach kicked off the same soccer tournament in Portland by telling thousands of young players that she was once where they are now.

“That’s what I’d like to draw for them,” said Wambach, who flew in from South Korea to make an appearance at the first day of the tournament and flies to Norway Friday in preparation for the Olympics. “Otherwise, it would be way above them. It’s possible to get where I am at from where they’re sitting.”

The opening rounds are scheduled all weekend in Brunswick, Falmouth and South Portland. The semifinals and final rounds follow early next week.

Wambach played for the Rhinos out of Rochester, N.Y. Soccer was part of her life, and tournaments like these were the foundation of her future. She wasn’t striving for greatness back then. She hardly knew anything about the U.S. National Team, let alone thought she had a chance to get there.

“It’s part of the process,” said the three-time U.S. Soccer women’s player of the year. “What I think I was doing that helped was I was enjoying the process and not thinking too much about the end of the line. I knew there were possibilities, but I really tried to enjoy every moment, all the tournaments, the friendships, the drives with my mother, all the books we listened to on tape, I’ll never forget them.”

Out of the thousands on hand for Friday’s opening ceremonies at Hadlock Field and Fitzpatrick Stadium, a small percentage, if any, might reach the level that Wambach has, yet it was still important for her to map out the possibilities.

“Ultimately, even if they don’t get there, the ability I think, on a personal level, to have that connection and that line drawn, that could be the difference of making the right decisions in other aspects of their life,” said Wambach. “I think ultimately if we can inspire somebody to just be better period, strive to be something bigger than yourself, then you’ve done your job.”

Prior to speaking to the crowd at Hadlock from atop one of the dugouts, she spent a couple hours signing autographs and having pictures taken with fans. Flocks of young girls lined up to meet her.

“The opportunities for girls to see that is few and far between,” said Wambach, who was the team’s leading scorer in the 2003 World Cup run and had four goals in the 2004 Olympics. “That’s why it’s so crucial to get that face time. When I was growing up, the role models were guys. They were doing things I wanted to do. I wanted to play professional sports. (Former teammate) Julie Foudy said, ‘My role model is a 250-300 pound lineman.’ It’s all we had.”

The soccer climate has changed significantly in the last decade, and the success of the women’s Olympic and World Cup teams has been a key part of that. Wambach once admired the talents of April Heinrich, Michelle Akers and Mia Hamm and eventually became their teammate. Other than Akers, Wambach is the fastest women to reach 50-career goals with the National Team.

“I ended up playing with a lot of my role models toward the end of their careers and the beginning of mine,” said Wambach. “Ideally, that’s what I’d love for these kids, five or six years down the road, being able to play with one of these kids. They’ll say, ‘I remember you spoke at the beginning of the tournament in Portland.’ That for me would be really special because I know what it’s like to do that.”

Between the Olympic games this summer and the Women’s Professional Soccer starting up next spring, women’s soccer will get ample exposure and opportunity to breed and inspire future generations.

Wambach says she’s very confident in the United States’ chances in China, but sometimes ability isn’t the deciding factor. Wambach had six goals in last year’s disappointing World Cup finish.

“I have a true belief that the team has so much talent,” said Wambach. “We really want to earn that respect of the rest of the country, much like Mia did with the old team. We have to earn the right to wear a medal. I think this team has the ability to do it.”

The professional league will follow on the heals of the Olympics and start up in seven areas, including Boston. This is the second time a women’s pro league has been attempted. Wambach says leadership and a better structure could help the viability of this attempt. The league has investment from NBA star Steve Nash and Yahoo! President Jeff Mallett. Acclaimed coaches such as Tony DiCicco, Ian Sawyers and Emma Hayes will lead teams in Boston, New Jersey/New York and Chicago respectively. Wambach says it would be wonderful to see the league exist long enough to have kids of her own and watch them play in a league she was apart of in its infancy.

“Right now, it’s really exciting,” said Wambach. “Ultimately, the sustainability of the league is going to be questioned the most because of the failure of the other league. I’m confident that the right people are in place to make the right decisions that will benefit the league so that it will be here as long as we’re all around.”