Tobin Heath


Tobin Powell Heath is an American professional soccer player for the Portland Thorns of the National Women's Soccer League, the highest division of women's professional soccer in the United States, and the United States women's national soccer team. Heath is described as "perhaps the USA's most skillful player" by the United States Soccer Federation, and she was voted the U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year in 2016.
Heath played college soccer for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels and helped the team win three NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championships. Professionally, Heath has played for the New Jersey Wildcats in 2004–05, Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues in 2007 and Pali Blues in 2009, Atlanta Beat, Sky Blue FC, and New York Fury of Women's Professional Soccer as well as Paris Saint-Germain in France. She has won two NWSL Championships with her current team Portland Thorns.
Heath won gold with the national team at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, 2012 London Summer Olympics, 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, and 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup and she played for the team at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup where the U.S. finished in second place.

Early life and education

Heath was born in Morristown, New Jersey, to parents Jeff and Cindy Heath. She grew up in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. Heath's closest cousin, Dawn Fulmer also lived in New Jersey at the time and owned the school Tobin and her siblings attended. Heath has a younger brother, Jeffrey, and two older sisters, Perry and Katie, who are active in Athletes in Action and Champions for Christ. Heath started playing soccer at the age of 4 in the back of a YMCA. She has described herself as a proud and devout follower of the Christian faith and is very close to her family.
Heath graduated from Ridge High School in Basking Ridge in 2006, where she played soccer for three years. She also played for the 2003 Club National Champion PDA Wildcats team. Heath was ranked as the No. 2 recruit in the nation in the Class of 2006 by Soccer Buzz magazine and was named to the Parade Magazine All-America team in 2005.

North Carolina Tar Heels

Heath committed to attend the University of North Carolina when she was due to begin her junior year at high school. She did not play soccer in her senior year, instead she decided to train with boys. In her consensus freshman year in 2006 with the Tar Heels, she was part of the All-America 2006 national championship team and made 23 appearances at left midfield, scoring four goals and assisting nine. As a sophomore, she scored two goals, assisting another five and was named to the First-Team NSCAA All-American and First-Team All-ACC. As a junior, she scored eight goals with eight assists, this helped the UNC to a 25–1–2 record and the NCAA title.
As a senior at UNC, she was involved in fifteen Tar Heels goals, five of them she scored and assisted 10. The team compiled a record of 23–3–1 and recorded 1–0 victories in both the NCAA semi-final and championship game. She was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team and also the first runner-up for the MAC Hermann Trophy, given to the college soccer's top player.
Heath helped lead UNC to NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship titles in 2006, 2008 and 2009 and four straight Atlantic Coast Conference titles. UNC soccer coach Anson Dorrance notes that Heath preferred to nutmeg opposing players rather than dribble the ball around them.

Club career

USL W-League (2004-2009)

From 2004 to 2006 Heath played with the New Jersey Wildcats, then known as the PSA Wildcats, where she helped the team win the USL W-League Championship in 2005 and be crowned USL W-League Runners-Up in 2004, after assisting the team in becoming Champions of the USL W-League Northeast Division in 2004, 2005, and 2006. The next year she played for Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues, the team finished the season second in their division and made it to the 2007 Conference Semifinal. In 2009 she played one season with California’s Pali Blues, who went on to win the USL W-League Western Conference title and the W-League Championship title.

Women's Professional Soccer (2010–11)

In 2010, she was the first overall pick in the Women's Professional Soccer 2010 college draft and was selected by the expansion team Atlanta Beat. After suffering an injury to her right ankle in her third appearance for the Beat, she missed the remainder of the 2010 season. She started in all three of her appearances for the club.
On December 10, 2010, Heath, along with Beat teammates Eniola Aluko and Angie Kerr, were traded to Sky Blue FC in return for the fourth and eighth pick in the 2011 WPS Draft as well as future considerations. Heath made twelve appearances for Sky Blue, starting in three games. The team finished fifth during regular season play with 5 wins, 4 draws, and 9 losses.

New York Fury (2012)

With the folding of WPS in 2012, Heath joined New York Fury of the WPSL Elite League. At the start of the season, she was recovering from an ankle injury. Afterwards, she played one game with New York Fury and was later called to the national team.

Paris Saint-Germain (2013–2014)

In 2013, Heath signed a six-month contract with Paris Saint-Germain in the top-tier French league, Division 1 Féminine until the end of the season on May 23, 2013. She scored five goals in the twelve appearances she made for the club. Her six-month spell was referred as her education, from the Portland Thorns FC website.
Heath returned to PSG from Portland Thorns FC in September 2013 until June 2014, after she had a sore right foot in the 2013 NWSL Championship. During her second spell with the club, she made seven appearances without scoring.

Portland Thorns FC (2013–present)

The newly established National Women's Soccer League announced on January 11, 2013 that Heath was one of the seven players allocated to the Portland Thorns FC for their initial roster as part of the NWSL Player Allocation. After completing the season with Paris-Saint Germain, she joined the Thorns in July 2013, helping them attain a third-place finish in the NWSL. The Thorns won the 2013 NWSL Championship after defeating the Western New York Flash 2–0, with Heath scoring the game-winning goal from a direct free kick. She was voted as the Most Valuable Player of the championship game.
During the beginning of the 2016 NWSL season, Heath notched five assists in five games – two of them in a 2–1 victory over the Orlando Pride, and earned the title of NWSL Player of the Month for April. She also scored her first goal of the 2016 season against the Washington Spirit, which was voted NWSL goal of the week by fans. She was also named NWSL Player of the Week for week 6. Heath notched her 10th assist of the season in Portland's final game against Sky Blue FC, breaking the NWSL's previous record of 9 assists by a single player in one regular season. She was named as the team's captain when Christine Sinclair was injured during the season.
Heath missed the majority of the 2017 NWSL season, while nursing a lingering back injury which kept her out of play. It was first described as a minor injury that was expected to result in a short spell out of play, with an estimated return date listed as May 27 against the Boston Breakers. The back injury lasted longer than thought so she was sent to Los Angeles and was treated by her coaching staff. Heath was removed from the disabled list and added to the active roster on August 28. It was announced in May that she would take up a role within the team's Development Academy as Youth Technical Director. Heath returned in time for end of the season, her NWSL season debut was on September 23 vs Orlando Pride at the 60th minute. She made her first start on October 7 against the same team in the NWSL Championship Semi-final. She helped her team reach the final of the play-offs with an assist for Emily Sonnett in a 4–1 win, and participated in a 1–0 win over North Carolina Courage to win the NWSL Championship.
Heath suffered an ankle injury during the 2017 NWSL Championship game and underwent surgery at the beginning of 2018. She missed the first four games of the 2018 NWSL season as she was still recovering from surgery. Heath returned to the Thorns lineup on April 28 against the Utah Royals, where she entered the game in the 57th minute and scored a goal 10 minutes later. The game ended in a 1–1 draw. Heath scored 7 goals and added 7 assists during the regular season. She was named to the NWSL Team of the Month for August. Heath scored another goal in Portland's 2–1 win over the Seattle Reign in the semi-final, setting up a re-match with the North Carolina Courage in the final. Portland was defeated by the Courage 3–0 in the final. Heath was named one of five nominees for NWSL Most Valuable Player, her Thorns teammate Lindsay Horan won the award. Heath was named to the 2018 NWSL Best XI.
Heath started the 2019 season quite positively. She won both the NWSL Goal of the Week and Player of the Week for the first week of play.

Club summary

International career

National youth teams

Heath played on several youth national teams – including the U-16s in 2003–2004 and the U-17s in 2004–05. Heath was a standout at the 2006 FIFA U-20 Women's World Championship in Russia, despite being of the last players chosen for the World Cup roster. In total Heath made 24 appearances for the USA Women's U-20 National TeamU-20s in 2006, scoring five goals. Heath was part of the silver medal winning USA Women's team at the 2007 Pan American Games in Brazil where she was in the starting lineup for the championship game.

Senior national team debut, 2008

Heath made her first appearance for the senior national team on January 18, 2008 against Finland in the Four Nations Tournament in China. She was named to the U.S roster for 2008 Summer Olympics at the age of 20. She earned three caps during the tournament as the U.S went on to win the Gold Medal. Heath was one of three college athletes who represented the U.S. at the 2008 Olympics. In 2008, Heath earned 17 caps and scored two goals. Her first international goal came against China at the 2008 Algarve Cup.

2009–2010

Heath was named the 2009 U.S. Soccer Young Female Athlete of the Year and earned two more caps for the USWNT in 2009, both appearances came against Canada in July. She did not play for the USA in 2010 due to an illness and a major ankle injury suffered during the WPS season which required surgery.

2011 FIFA Women's World Cup

Heath made her FIFA Women's World Cup debut at the age of 23 during the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany. Her first appearance came in the second half of U.S's group-stage match against Colombia. Heath made four appearances during the World Cup, her final three appearances came in the knockout round. In the World Cup final, Heath entered the game in the 116th minute of extra time as a substitute for Megan Rapinoe. The game finished tied 2–2 and went to penalties. Heath was the third U.S player to take a penalty, but her shot was saved by Japanese keeper Ayumi Kaihori and the U.S lost 3–1 on penalties.

2012 London Olympics

Heath was a member of the 2012 U.S. Olympic team and played in all six matches. She started and played the full 90 in four of the six games and recorded three assists during the tournament. Her first assist came against France, during the groups stage, where she sent a crossing pass to Alex Morgan who scored the last goal of the match making the final score 4–2. The second assist, against Colombia, she played a one-two pass with Wambach who scored the second in a 3–0 win. Her final assist of the tournament came in the quarter-finals against New Zealand, at the 87th minute, when she provided a long ball down the left flank to Sydney Leroux, who scored through the legs of the goalkeeper Jenny Bindon, sealing the match at the final score of 2–0.

2015 FIFA Women's World Cup

Heath was a regular starter on the U.S. National Women's Team at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada, starting five of the U.S.'s seven games. In the World Cup Final, Heath scored in the 54th minute, on an assist from Morgan Brian. The U.S won the World Cup by defeating Japan 5–2

2016 Rio Olympics

Heath scored two goals for the U.S during 2016 Olympic Qualifying, helping the U.S to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Heath participated in her third Olympic Games in 2016. She appeared in three games for the U.S and recorded two assists. The U.S team was eliminated by Sweden on penalties in the quarter-finals. Heath was named NWSL Olympics Player of Match Day 1 and 2 in fan voting.
In 2016 Heath appeared in 20 games for the U.S, she scored 6 goals and added 8 assists. Heath was named 2016 U.S Soccer Female Player of the Year after receiving 40% of the vote, Crystal Dunn came in second with 34% of the vote.

2017

After appearing in all three games at the 2017 SheBelieves Cup, Heath would only make one more appearance for the U.S in 2017 due to a nagging back injury and an ankle injury suffered in the 2017 NWSL Championship game.

2018

After undergoing ankle surgery in January 2018, Heath made her return to the field on June 12 in a friendly against China, where she scored the match winner in a 2–1 victory. At the 2018 Tournament of Nations Heath scored in the final game against Brazil, helping the U.S to a 4–1 victory. The U.S won the tournament by goal differential over Australia.
Heath scored 4 goals at the 2018 CONCACAF Women's Championship, which included two goals in a semi-final match against Jamaica. The U.S won that game 6–0 and clinched a spot in the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. She was named to the Best XI for the CONCACAF Women's Championship.
Heath finished 2018 with 7 goals and 6 assists, while only appearing in 10 games. She was one of five nominees for the 2018 U.S Female Player of the Year, Alex Morgan won the award.

International goals


Goal		DateLocationOpponentLineupMinAssist/passScoreResultCompetition
12008-03-05Albufeira47unassisted2008 Algarve Cup
22008-04-04Juárez95+Lauren Holiday2008 Olympic qualifier: Group A
32011-11-19Glendale81Alex MorganFriendly
42012-01-20Vancouver30Heather O'Reilly2012 Olympic qualifier: Group B
52012-01-27Vancouver16Shannon Boxx2012 Olympic qualifier: Semifinal
62012-06-16Halmstad56Abby Wambach2012 Volvo Winners Cup
72012-10-23East Hartford67Alex MorganFriendly
82013-04-9The HagueStart36Sydney LerouxFriendly
92014-09-18Rochester44Amy RodriguezFriendly
102014-10-17ChicagoStart7Sydney Leroux2014 CONCACAF Championship
112014-10-17ChicagoStart57Carli Lloyd2014 CONCACAF Championship
122015-07-05Vancouver54Morgan Brian2015 FIFA World Cup: Final
132016-02-19HoustonStart12Mallory Pugh2016 Olympic qualifier: Semifinal
142016-02-21HoustonStart61Mallory Pugh2016 Olympic qualifier: Final
152016-04-06East HartfordStart62Crystal DunnFriendly
162016-09-15Columbus36Carli LloydFriendly
172016-10-19Sandy61Crystal DunnFriendly
182016-11-10San JoseStart10Christen PressFriendly
192018-06-12 Cleveland75Christen Press2–12–1Friendly
202018-08-02 Bridgeview61Alex Morgan3–14–12018 Tournament of Nations
212018-09-04 San Jose38Tierna Davidson2–04–0Friendly
222018-10-04 Cary61Crystal Dunn4–06–02018 CONCACAF Championship
232018-10-10 CaryStart58Megan Rapinoe7–07–02018 CONCACAF Championship
242018-10-14 FriscoStart2unassisted2018 CONCACAF Championship Semifinal
252018-10-14 FriscoStart29Lindsey Horan2018 CONCACAF Championship Semifinal
262019-03-02 NashvilleStart67unassisted2–22–22019 SheBelieves Cup
272019-03-05 Tampa20unassisted1–01–02019 SheBelieves Cup
282019-04-04 Commerce CityStart53Emily Sonnett2–25–3Friendly
292019-05-16 St. Louis35Megan Rapinoe1–05–0Friendly
302019-05-26 Harrison11unassisted1–03–0Friendly
312019-08-03Pasadena16Christen Press1–03–0Friendly
322019-08-29Philadelphia4Christen Press1–04–0Friendly
332020-01-31Houston78Lindsey Horan
2020 Olympic qualifier: Group A

World Cup and Olympic appearances

Honors and awards

College

University of North Carolina

Heath is a devout Christian. Aside from soccer, Heath has said she enjoys playing a multitude of sports, such as tennis and surfing, and enjoys being outside when given the time and opportunity. Tobin's first name is her great-grandmother's surname.

Company

In 2019, Heath, along with current and former USWNT teammates, Christen Press, Meghan Klingenberg, and Megan Rapinoe launched the luxury lifestyle brand Rə-Inc. While they all work collaboratively, they each occupy unique positions within the company. Heath serves as the creative force behind the brand. Rə-Inc was created “to boldly reimagine the status quo — championing equity, creativity, progress and art.” On top of three successful clothing capsule drops, Heath has created and auctioned off original art pieces. With each art auction, a portion of the proceeds has been donated to grassroots organizations.

In popular culture

Video games

Heath is featured along with her national teammates in the EA Sports' FIFA video game series in FIFA 16, the first time women players were included in the game. In September 2015, she was ranked by EA Sports as the No. 15 women's player in the game.

Ticker tape parade and White House honor

Following the United States' win at the ‘15 FIFA Women's World Cup, Heath and her teammates became the first women's sports team to be honored with a Ticker tape parade in New York City. Each player received a key to the city from Mayor Bill de Blasio. In October of the same year, the team was honored by President Barack Obama at the White House.