Becky Sauerbrunn Recalls Breaking Rules for Tobin Heath Post USWNT Legend’s Retirement

To become synonymous with the sport you play is a kind of achievement that very few can attain in their lives. But many would agree that Tobin Heath managed to seat herself in a league that’s entirely her own. In her storied career, there aren’t many soccer trophies that the former Portland Thorns forward hasn’t held in her hands. Naturally, when she dropped the announcement of her retirement last weekend, the fans lost it.

“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,” the former Manchester United and PSG star said in an episode of RE—INC podcast last Friday on why her injuries were the primary reason she had decided to hang up her boots. While it was definitely a blow, her fans would still have tons of memories of Heath on the soccer pitch to remember her fondly by. But for her teammate, Becky Sauerbrunn, it was the life away from the pitch together, as friends, which would make her forever consider Tobin as a close comrade.

In a YouTube upload by The Women’s Game on July 15, the former Portland center back revealed how Tobin got the former to break a few rules when they were traveling together with the national team in Europe. While the show’s host mentioned how Heath’s legacy will continue to inspire generations to come, Becky couldn’t help but share one memory of herself with the Olympian to highlight even a celebrity soccer star like Tobin sometimes enjoyed playing the outlaw.

“You have rule followers and rule breakers, and Tobin is like one of those rare people where the rules just don’t even exist,” said Sauerbrunn with a straight face, before proceeding to elaborate on what went down at the British capital years ago. “I think we were in London for a women’s national team game, and we got to see Arsenal play at Emirates Stadium, and we’re getting picked up right after the match. They were like, ‘Be there. The bus needs to get you guys back.’ We’ve got practice the next morning,” Becky set the context perfectly to underscore why the infraction was even more scandalous.

“And Tobin somehow convinced me to run to the team store, buy some merchandise. I am a rule follower for sure. She somehow got me to do this, but I still have this Arsenal mug that I use to this day,” Becky explained how she and Heath wandered off on their own despite having specific instructions to follow the team schedule along with the rest of the roster.

Whenever a team travels overseas, they have to adhere to strict schedules and an itinerary to make sure the tour goes by without hiccups. Naturally, with such norms already being in place, to let loose and just give in to your whims isn’t something you’d expect from two of the senior-most stars in the squad. But, in retrospect, Becky believes that thanks to Tobin, she now has a memory she will cherish forever. “I can’t even be upset that everyone was pissed off that held up the bus because I just love it and that moment so much,” Sauerbrunn said with a broad smile on her face.

But hey, we’d wager that many fans would agree that such little mischiefs are something you can’t hold against someone like Tobin Heath. After all, the soccer sensation has given her life to bring the biggest silverware the sport has to offer to the United States. A two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup champion and a 3x Olympic medalist (two golds, one bronze), Heath will undoubtedly be remembered as a bona fide legend.

36 goals and 42 assists in 181 national appearances, Heath’s achievements speak for themselves. Maybe, not paying heed to the lucid suggestion of such a legend was too difficult for Becky to ignore. Or, maybe, it was a bond that she never not wanted to respect.

Maybe Tobin Heath saw the moment as a bonding experience

Like every other team sport, success on the soccer pitch depends significantly on how good the bond between the players is. With that in mind, teams often devise specific activities, alongside the usual training, to help the players get to know each other better. However, sometimes, some of these activities can feel forced and counterproductive to what the top brass aims to achieve with the same.

In March, Heath and her fiancée, Christen Press, discussed why being directed to bond with your teammates can feel claustrophobic to those who like to do things at their own pace. Could it be that the instance Becky talked about was actually a secret plan by Heath to get to know each other better through the thrilling experience of defying the USWNT’s direct order? Probably!

Or maybe it was simply the fact that Tobin holds Arsenal in high regard. Her admiration for the Premier League team isn’t uncommon knowledge, and when she got the chance to buy some Gunners merch, she probably just couldn’t deny the urge. Whatever the reason was, one thing’s for sure: Becky did have fun doing it, and made a memory of a lifetime with Heath.