Tobin Heath Retires From Professional Football After Celebrated Career With USWNT

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Tobin Heath, a former midfielder for the United States, has retired from professional football at 37. Her decision followed a prolonged struggle with a knee injury that sidelined her for nearly three years. Heath's last match was in August 2022 with Seattle Reign in the NWSL. Despite undergoing several surgeries, she couldn't recover from the left knee injury.

During her impressive 13-year career, Heath earned 181 caps for the USWNT, securing two World Cups and two Olympic gold medals. In club football, she won two NWSL championships and an NWSL Shield with Portland Thorns and another Shield with Reign. Her European stints included playing for Manchester United, Arsenal, and Paris Saint-Germain. In 2016, she was honoured as U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year.

On her podcast, The RE-CAP Show, co-hosted with Christen Press, Heath shared insights into her retirement decision: "Over New Year's, I actually came to the full acceptance that I wasn't going to be playing, which was like a two-year, some might say three-year process of acceptance."

Heath detailed her attempts to return: "I tried everything to get back; I spent tens of thousands of dollars and [had] two surgeries, one crazy surgery. And the whole time, I believed I was going to get back." Despite these efforts, she realised that returning wasn't possible.

"The writing was definitely on the wall; I just couldn't accept that that was my ending," Heath expressed. She emphasised that her passion for playing wasn't driven by fame or public attention but by her love for the game.

Heath's career remains celebrated for its achievements and impact on women's football globally. Her legacy continues to inspire many aspiring athletes worldwide.