Tag: Tobin Heath

Key USWNT players missing from the 2023 World Cup roster

Don’t expect to see these USWNT stars play in the World Cup this year.

The 2023 World Cup is set to begin this week, as the United States Women’s National Team prepares for its tournament debut against Vietnam on July 21.

However, there will be some key members of previous USWNT teams not present in New Zealand for this year’s World Cup. A lot of names you probably recognize if you’re a casual soccer fan.

A good number of the women on this list are struggling with various ailments, while one all-time talent retired in 2021.

Before you spend too much time wondering where somebody is, let’s run down some of athletes who won’t be competing in the World Cup this year for the United States.

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Q&A: World Cup champ Tobin Heath on USWNT’s 3-peat expectations, Megan Rapinoe’s retirement

For The Win spoke with 2-time World Cup champion Tobin Heath about the USWNT in the 2023 tournament.

During the 2023 World Cup, Tobin Heath is doing something a little different.

For the first time in more than a decade, she’ll be watching the competition from afar after winning World Cup titles with Team USA in 2015 and 2019. Heath hasn’t played in a game since undergoing knee surgery in September.

So instead, she and Christen Press — a fellow two-time World Cup champ recovering from a knee injury — will break it down on their new digital series, The RE—CAP Show, which is produced by the lifestyle brand RE—INC, founded by Heath, Press, Megan Rapinoe and Meghan Klingenberg in 2019. Through the content arm of RE—INC, Heath hopes to provide the kind of analysis she’d want to see and “reimagine the way women are seen and experienced in sports.” The first episode dropped Thursday.

“We say we live at the intersection of sports progress and equity,” 35-year-old Heath said. “It’s always kind of cool to see how with just a single platform — which essentially was the legacy of the founders and all of our fights both on and off the field — how we’ve used that to create a vehicle that could far outlast any of our own individual playing careers.”

Ahead of the USWNT’s first game in the 2023 World Cup — its matchup against Vietnam is set for 9 p.m. ET on Friday on FOX — For The Win spoke with Heath about her expectations for the team, its biggest competition, equity in women’s soccer and the upcoming retirement of star Megan Rapinoe.

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This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

World Cup team previews: Get to know 10 of the 2023 contenders (including USWNT, of course)

Christen Press and Tobin Heath to host USWNT World Cup recap show

The show will air following every USWNT World Cup match

Tobin Heath and Christen Press won’t be playing in the World Cup this summer, but they will be talking about it a whole lot.

Heath and Press have been announced as co-hosts of “The RE–CAP Show,” a digital program that is scheduled to run after U.S. women’s national team games in the upcoming World Cup.

The duo were members of the USWNT’s World Cup-winning squads in 2015 and 2019, but neither has played at all this year. Heath departed OL Reign at the end of last season after making just five appearances, while Press just announced she is set to undergo a fourth knee operation as she continues her recovery from a torn ACL suffered in June 2022.

The RE–CAP Show is from the new media division of RE—INC, the brand that Press and Heath founded with fellow World Cup winners Meghan Klingenberg and Megan Rapinoe.

“The RE–CAP Show is the antithesis of your typical sports broadcast commentary. It is an unfiltered, women-led resource that will highlight the perspectives of players who have dedicated their lives to soccer and know the game best,” Heath said in a press release. “This is the first time we haven’t competed in 15 years, so we’re fired up to support our team from the sidelines. The RE–CAP Show is here to give our fans what they crave – our unfiltered opinions, what really goes on at world championships, and what the biggest moments truly feel like.”

Press added: “We have always aimed to be a purposeful brand that creates social impact. What makes RE–INC different is that we have never been shy about our ethos and putting our quest for equality in women’s soccer, and women’s sports more broadly, front and center. The RE–CAP Show will be an extension of this mission to level the playing field for all, while amplifying the voices of women in sports.”

The first episode is set to drop on Thursday, which will preview the World Cup. The show will be available on YouTube, as well as various social media and podcast platforms.

Watch the trailer for The RE–CAP Show

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Heath, Debinha among NWSL free agents after arbitrator rules in favor of players

The league’s first class of free agents will be 48 players strong

An independent arbitrator has ruled in favor of the NWSL Players Association (NWSLPA) in its dispute with the NWSL, making 22 players immediately eligible for free agency.

Among those 22 players are MVP finalist Debinha, longtime U.S. national team star Tobin Heath and all-time leading international goalscorer Christine Sinclair.

The league had been in dispute with the NWSLPA over the status of the 22 players, whom the NWSLPA argued should have been free agents as of August 26 if their clubs had not exercised their club option on their contracts.

After the arbitrator’s ruling, the 22 will join 26 other players who were already set to enter free agency, a mechanism that was enshrined under the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) signed prior to the 2022 season.

“The grievance and arbitration procedure that is contained in the Collective Bargaining Agreement is, itself, a win for collective bargaining,” read a statement from the NWSLPA. “Through this process, the NWSL and the NWSL Players Association agree to submit issues where we cannot reach agreement to a jointly selected, impartial arbitrator. The grievance and arbitration procedure is a fair, collectively bargained mechanism that provides finality and instills confidence in the outcome.”

Under the CBA, unrestricted free agency will available to all players with at least five years of service in the league in August 2023, and restricted free agency will be available to players with at least three years of service.

Newly declared NWSL free agents

  • Lauren Barnes
  • Katie Bowen
  • Danielle Colaprico
  • Jaelene Daniels
  • Debinha
  • Vanessa DiBernardo
  • Makenzy Doniak
  • Morgan Gautrat
  • Tobin Heath
  • Rachel Hill
  • Kaitlyn Johnson
  • Estelle Johnson
  • Domi Richardson
  • Katelyn Rowland
  • Sophie Schmidt
  • Christine Sinclair
  • Meredith Speck
  • Jasmyne Spencer
  • Nicole Stanton
  • Jodie Taylor
  • Arin Wright
  • McCall Zerboni

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OL Reign move USWNT veteran Tobin Heath to season-ending injury list

OL Reign will face the stretch run without Heath

OL Reign are going to have to navigate the final weeks of the NWSL season without Tobin Heath.

The longime USWNT winger was added to the season-ending injury list by the club following knee surgery on Monday.

“Although this wasn’t an easy decision, we know this was the right decision,” Reign head coach Laura Harvey said in a club statement. “We always want to be mindful of our athletes and their health, so we wanted to be sure that Tobin will have the proper time needed to fully prepare for a successful return on the pitch. Despite missing time this season, Tobin has helped our younger players tremendously with her veteran mindset and experience.”

Impact on the Reign’s playoff hopes

Heath was overcoming an injury sustained while playing for Arsenal when she joined the Reign in June of this year, and after recovering, made five appearances as a substitute.

She scored a potentially critical goal for the club, a late winner in a 1-0 victory over Angel City FC in her second appearance, but has not played for the Reign since August 14’s 4-1 rout of Gotham FC. Heath’s last start anywhere came back on March 31, when Arsenal were eliminated by Wolfsburg in the Champions League quarterfinals.

The fact that Heath hasn’t been available very often means the Reign should be able to proceed without too much disruption. That’s no knock on Heath, but rather a testament to the fact that Harvey’s side has more depth in wide attacking positions than any team in the NWSL. Players like Tziarra King and Veronica Latsko only get sporadic starts, and a similar logjam in central midfield has allowed Harvey to move Rose Lavelle out to the right wing at times.

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USWNT stalwart Tobin Heath has landed with OL Reign

The 34-year-old has returned to the NWSL after spending two seasons in England

OL Reign have announced the acquisition of U.S. women’s national team stalwart Tobin Heath in a trade with Racing Louisville FC.

Heath’s playing rights were acquired by Louisville in the 2021 expansion draft, though the 34-year-old did not actually play for the club as she spent the past two seasons in England with Manchester United and Arsenal.

OL Reign sent a second-round and fourth-round draft pick to Louisville, along with $50,000 in allocation money, to complete the deal, and signed Heath to a contract through the 2022 season with an option for a further season.

“Couldn’t be more thrilled to play alongside the world class players here, for Laura Harvey as my coach, and in front of the amazing community of supporters,” Heath said in a club release. “We’re all eager to win a title, and I’m hopeful I can help OL Reign achieve that goal.”

Heath made her name in the NWSL with OL Reign’s rivals, the Portland Thorns, where she spent seven seasons between 2013 and 2019, winning two NWSL titles and being named to the league’s Best XI on three occasions.

On the national team level, Heath is one of the most successful USWNT players in the recent iteration of the team. She’s appeared in four Olympics and three World Cups, winning two titles in each competition.

Heath has scored 36 goals and added 42 assists in her 181 USWNT caps. She will not, however, add to those numbers this summer after she was omitted from the CONCACAF W Championship roster as she continues to work her way back to fitness after an injury cut her season at Arsenal short.

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Tobin Heath, OL Reign near stunning deal for NWSL return

Heath returns to the Pacific Northwest, but not with Portland

Tobin Heath is about to return to the NWSL, as according to a report from Equalizer Soccer, the USWNT winger will sign with OL Reign after the Seattle club makes a deal with Racing Louisville for her NWSL rights.

Per the report, the Reign and Louisville—who controversially selected Heath’s rights in their expansion draft—have agreed to a deal that will see $50,000 in allocation money and two draft picks go to Racing in the exchange. Heath and OL Reign have not reached an agreement on contract terms, though that is expected to be a formality at this stage.

Heath, 34, is out of contract after reaching a deal with Arsenal to end her deal with the club in late April. She has spent the last two seasons playing in the Women’s Super League, first with Manchester United and then with Arsenal for the 2021-22 campaign.

Injuries plagued Heath during her time in north London, restricting her to nine league appearances, but she did score two goals in just 292 minutes of WSL playing time. If the deal is completed, she would join another Arsenal star, Kim Little, who will play with the Reign on a short-term loan later this summer.

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Tobin Heath scored her first goal for Manchester United and it was a rocket

What a goal from the USWNT winger Tobin Heath.

Tobin Heath joined Manchester United this season, and the creative attacking midfielder kicked off her goalscoring tally for the side on Sunday with a rocket of a right-footed shot.

The goal came against West Ham and gave Manchester United a 2-0 lead in the 24th minute.

Heath has plied her trade in NWSL up to this point, but joined a growing cascade of USWNT players who are finding playing time by linking up with WSL sides. Heath was joined by Christen Press at United, while Rose Lavelle and Sam Mewis have joined Manchester City.

Here is a look at the goal from Heath that doubled United’s lead:

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