USWNT: Legendary Tobin Heath retires as professional soccer player after stellar career
- Dan Stickradt
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Tobin Heath, two‑time Women’s World Cup champion and U.S. soccer icon, announced her retirement from professional soccer Thursday during an episode of The RE‑CAP Show, her podcast co‑hosted with Christen Press.
Heath, 37, closes a storied career that featured two Olympic gold medals (2008, 2012), 181 caps with the U.S. women’s national team and stints with top clubs including Portland Thorns FC, Manchester United, Arsenal and OL Reign.
Her departure marks the end of her playing days but not her commitment to the sport — Heath will continue contributing to soccer through media and technical analysis, including her work with FIFA’s Technical Study Group at the Men’s Club World Cup this summer.
Throughout her career, Heath was celebrated for her creativity, dribbling and technical skill. Her retirement caps off a legacy of trailblazing excellence as one of the top female soccer players in U.S. history.
Heath has battled injury issues in recent years, including a serious knee injury that required numerous injuries. Her final NWSL appearance with the Portland Thorns was August 14, 2022, a 4-1 win over Gotham FC. Heath’s USWNT career ends with 36 goals, 42 assists and 10,171 minutes played and a long list of accolades spanning when she was a youth-club, high school, collegiate, professional and USWNT player. She was also named to the 2020 FIFA FIFPro Women’s World 11 among some of her top accomplishments on the international circuit.
The former University of North Carolina star helped the Tar heals win three NCAA Division I national championships (2006, 2008 and 2009) and was a four-time All-America selection by various publications and associations. Her teams also won four straight Atlantic Coast Conference titles.
Heath was born in Morristown, New Jersey, and later attended Basking Ridge High School where she was a three-year letterwinner before opting out of high school soccer as a senior to train with an all-boys team. On the youth-club circuit, she also captured a 2003 USYS national title with her PDA Wildcats club teams. She departed high school in 2006 as a topo five recruit by several publications.
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