Gamechanger. Ankle-breaker. Team-player.
These are just a few words to describe the great Tobin Heath. The 37-year-old former US Women's National Team (USWNT) player announced her retirement Thursday on her podcast, "The Re-Cap Show."
"And Tobin Heath will never play soccer again," she said after a three-minute-long compilation video played with relatives, former teammates, and friends thanking Heath for her dedication to the game.
Heath made her USWNT debut in January 2008 and was named to the Beijing Olympics roster later that year, where the team won gold. She went on to appear in three Women's World Cups, winning back-to-back in 2015 and 2019. She also won gold with the team at the London 2012 Olympics.
In total, Heath has made 181 appearances with the USWNT, scoring 36 goals and providing 42 assists.
The actual news of Heath's retirement comes less as a shock and more as a heartbreak to fans. Heath had suffered a knee injury three years ago and has since detailed her struggle with recovery.
"I tried f— everything to get back. I spent tens of thousands of dollars and like two surgeries, one crazy surgery, like...the whole time I believed I was gonna get back," Heath said on the podcast episode titled "Your Favorite Player's Favorite Player."
Heath's longtime girlfriend, former teammate, and podcast co-host Christen Press, also suffered a knee injury in 2022. She made her return to her club team, Angel City FC, in 2024.
Heath has not only had a tremendous impact on women's soccer on the field; her style of play can be seen in current players like Rose Lavelle and Alyssa Thompson. Her impact on women's sports even off the field might be even greater. Heath was on the frontline of the equal pay fight and is one of the founders of RE-INC, a company that strives to make sports an inclusive space for everyone.
In her post-professional career, she has become the first woman appointed to FIFA's Technical Study Group to analyze the men's tournament.
Her presence on the field will be greatly missed. There will never be another Tobin Heath. But the legacy she leaves behind and the work she continues to do will last for generations.
Tobin Heath, No. 17, bows out to many thanks.
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