Despite not playing in nearly two years, former U.S. women’s national team star Tobin Heath hasn’t completely closed the door on continuing her career.
Heath was one of the biggest stars of the USWNT for well over a decade, winning two Olympic gold medals and two World Cups while collecting 181 caps after making her debut in 2008.
Now 36, Heath hasn’t played for the USWNT since 2021 and hasn’t played at the club level since a half-season stint with the team then known as OL Reign in 2022.
Injuries limited Heath in the latter portion of her career, as she only played sparingly during stints with Arsenal, Manchester United and OL Reign.
Heath appeared on SiriusXMFC and was asked by her former teammate Heather O’Reilly about her playing future.
“Yeah, it’s funny how life goes, but you know I was given this nickname when I was young, which was soccer junkie, because I am just absolutely obsessed with football,” Heath said. “I play it because I love it. I love my craft. I love doing it, so I had to take a bit of a pause due to injuries, which I’m still just like a maniac rehabbing those.
“I feel a little bit like Toni Kroos in a way. I don’t know if you saw his kind of retirement, but he was talking about how he’s never going to go play in Saudi [Arabia] or play in the MLS. He has a version of football in his head that is how he views his career and I think everybody is unique and different, but for me, that is kind of the same thing that I have in my head. I’ve experienced football at such a high level, and that’s where I find the most joy and the most passion – just like this maniac of a footballer.
“So, obviously, getting my body back to a place where, if that is to be God’s will for me to keep playing, that would be the level I would want to be at, so we’ll see how that goes. In the meantime, we’ve just been world-building around this thing called women’s sports.”
Since 2022, Heath has kept busy as a commentator with her RE-INC brand, often doing shows alongside her partner Christen Press. Currently, Heath is hosting “The Debrief,” a weekly show breaking down one game at a time.
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