Soccer legend Abby Wambach doesn't seem too worried for Adam Rippon in his spat with Vice President Mike Pence ... telling TMZ Sports, "I think [Rippon] can handle himself."
Rippon -- an openly gay U.S. figure skater -- has been blasting Pence in the media over the V.P.'s stance on gay rights, even saying he wanted to skip a meet-and-greet with him.
So, when we saw Wambach -- who's also an openly gay athlete -- we had to ask her opinion ... and even though she was trying to play it cool, it was obvious she's got Rippon's back.