Heather O’Reilly is not slowing down even one tiny bit, with the Champions League now in her sights.
The former U.S. women’s national team winger put together 231 caps, won a World Cup and three different Olympic gold medals, picked up two NWSL championships at the club level, and more recently finished the Boston Marathon and appeared on American Ninja Warrior just months after having a second child.
O’Reilly’s entire career was defined by endless energy, and that trend is continuing. The ex-USWNT star announced on BBC’s World Football that she is coming out of retirement to sign with Irish club Shelbourne FC.
“I had a long, successful, trophy-ridden career and I am very proud of that, but there was this one hole on my resume that I never played Champions League football,” O’Reilly said. “It was a disappointing end to my time over with Arsenal when I wrapped up with them in 2018, it irked me, it bothered me. It was always a thing in the back of my head.”
O’Reilly credited a nudge from Arsene Wenger, who coached her team at Unicef’s Soccer Aid charity match, for her return to pro soccer.
Shelbourne won the Women’s National League in 2021 by a single point, and thus got themselves into the first round of Champions League qualifying. O’Reilly said that once she decided to pursue a UWCL appearance for the first time in her career, she touched base with the club, which is based in the Dublin suburbs.
“I reached out to them. I don’t know if it was known that I was interested in coming out of retirement,” said O’Reilly. “It has been three years nearly since I officially retired from club football. People needed to know that I was interested.”
O’Reilly and Shelbourne do not have an easy path to the Champions League group stage. UEFA’s convoluted qualification process sees Shelbourne in the first round of the Champions Path, which for them means a four-team mini-tournament that will be played from August 18-21 in a yet-to-be-determined location. They’ll face ZNK Pomurje of Slovenia, and if they advance, they get a game against either Icelandic side Valur or FC Hayasa of Armenia.
If Shelbourne comes through that test, they’ll join the other 10 winners of the Champions Path mini-tournaments, plus seeded sides Slavia Prague (Czech Republic), Rosengård (Sweden), and HB Køge (Denmark), in the draw for the second round. Shelbourne would be paired off in that draw, facing a two-legged home-and-away tie in the last two weeks of September for a spot in the group stage.
If O’Reilly’s UWCL dream is successful, it will also be a big achievement for Irish women’s soccer. Only two clubs from Ireland have ever made it to the Champions League proper: Peamount United in 2011-12, and and Raheny United in 2014-15.
In the meantime, Shelbourne has a seven-point lead to maintain at the top of the WNL as they near the halfway point in the season.
“I’m chasing my dream,” added O’Reilly. “I had this unchecked box and I’m looking to go do it, and for good reasons. I’m thrilled about it, the club is thrilled about it, and I think it’s one of those situations where it’s just a win-win all around.”
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