USWNT star, NWSL champion Tobin Heath announces retirement

Tobin Heath, a star of the U.S. women's national team and the NWSL, officially announced her retirement from professional soccer on Thursday via "The RE-CAP Show," a podcast she co-hosts with former teammate Christen Press. Heath revealed that she reached full acceptance over the New Year's period that her playing career was over, a process she described as taking two to three years.

Known for her creativity, elite technical skill, and intense study of the game, Heath delighted fans for over a decade with signature moves like tricky nutmegs, sneaky jukes, joyful juggling, slick dribbles, and clever passes. Her career was ultimately cut short by a serious knee injury in 2022, requiring multiple surgeries and proving career-ending. Her final appearance for the U.S. national team was on October 26, 2021, and her last NWSL match was on August 14, 2022, for Seattle Reign (OL Reign).

Despite battling injuries throughout her career, Heath earned 181 caps for the U.S. senior national team across 13 years, scoring 36 goals and providing 42 assists. Her illustrious international career included winning two FIFA Women's World Cups (2015, 2019) and three Olympic medals (gold in 2008 and 2012, bronze in 2020/21).

Heath began her professional career after being selected first overall by the Atlanta Beat in the 2010 WPS College Draft, following a highly successful collegiate tenure at the University of North Carolina where she won four consecutive ACC titles and three NCAA National Championships. In the NWSL, she won multiple Championships and Shields: two NWSL championships with the Portland Thorns (2013, 2017) – earning the 2013 Championship MVP for a game-winning free-kick goal – and two NWSL Shields (Portland 2016, Seattle Reign 2022). She recorded 75 NWSL appearances, 13 goals, and 24 assists between 2013 and 2022.