Tobin Heath Opens Up On Her Post-Retirement Plans After Historic Campaign at Club World Cup

“It was me grieving not being able to play soccer anymore,” confessed the 2x Olympic gold medalist Tobin Heath when she finally decided to hang up her cleats earlier this month. It was not easy; rather, it was the “hardest part” for her, as football is the core part of her identity. But, in the wake of the long-term impact of her knee injury, the former USWNT midfielder had to bid goodbye to her beloved sport. Now, one month later, things might just be looking up, or, at least, Heath’s perspective has shifted.

For the last three years, Heath always thought she would come back. She had a plan to retire after a lengthy career. She had a plan to evolve as an older player, a desire to mentor the next generation in the locker room. She never expected the 2019 World Cup to be her last one.

“I thought I was literally going to be peeled off the field,” Heath said. However, post her retirement, Heath now plans to empower the next generation like she always dreamt of doing.

When asked about her plans post-retirement in an interview with FIFA, Tobin Heath said, “I love building. That is something from being a creative player. I love building around the women’s game, it is still so young and impressionable.” Perhaps hinting at the fact that she was part of the Technical Study Group (TSG) at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, and might be putting these skills to use as a coach, or analyst for women’s soccer.

Further, Heath also seemed to hint at using her platform with the RE-CAP podcast to continue influencing the world of soccer in big ways, “I love having myself and my peers’ voices in and around the game, and leading what we want the culture and environment to represent. Football is a special vehicle to change the world, and I am going to dedicate my life to it. I’m not entirely sure of the specific avenues but I’m not going to let it go, that’s for sure.” Heath said, making it clear that she’s never going to be separate from the sport. This time, not even the injury is going to stop her.

Tobin Heath’s injury and the illustrious career that it brought to a standstill

Before Heath’s career was brought to a standstill following a knee injury that required multiple surgeries to address, but not completely fix, she was a legend in the world of Women’s soccer. Heath was a winger in three women’s world cup finals, two of which she won with the United States in 2015 and 2019!

Not only that but her signature ‘nutmeg’ move where she faked a shot and then managed to pass the ball through her opponents legs has gone viral on many occasions. One of which, as many might remember was a warm up game in the 2019 World Cup between France and the U.S.A. The move showed Heath’s superior ball control and in depth understanding of the game that she gave a majority of her life to before it brought her down.

A two time Olympic gold medalist, Heath was training for the 2021 Olympics when she noticed a pinch in her knee that wouldn’t go away. Upon further investigation it turned out to be a hole right through her cartilage that required two surgeries to fix. However, nothing was back to normal, because later on in August 2022 when Heath and the Seattle Reign were playing Gotham FC her knee gave out and she required multiple surgeries thereon after, that game, unbeknownst to anyone at the time, ended up being the last one Heath played.

Heath is remembered by her teammates and everyone in the soccer committee as a legend who truly gave her all to her sport, so to know that she will continue on to influence it, despite her knee, is heartening!