The USWNT trains at Dick's Sporting Goods Park before their friendly against New Zealand.

Tobin Heath is an American soccer player who plays for Arsenal Women and the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT).

Previously, the player represented the New Jersey Wildcats, Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues, Pali Blues, Atlanta Heat, Sky Blue FC, New York Fury, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Portland Thorns. She moved to the Gunners from Manchester United.

Heath was born in Morristown, New Jersey, and grew up in Basking Ridge. She played a key role in the University of North Carolina's success during her time there and won NCAA titles with the Tar Heels in 2006, 2008 and 2009.

After stints with the New Jersey Wildcats (then the PSA Wildcats), Hudson Valley Quickstrike Lady Blues and Pali Blues in the W-League, she moved on to the Atlanta Beat and then Sky Blue FC.

Heath had two brief spells at PSG in France, but her most noteworthy spell was at Portland Thorns between 2013 and 2020. She won the NWSL Championship in 2013 and 2017 and the NWSL Shield in 2016.

She was also part of the USWNT squad which won the Olympic gold medal in 2008 and 2012, as well as the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2015 and 2019.

Atlanta Beat, Sky Blue FC and New York Fury

Along with Eniola Aluko and Angie Kerr, her teammates at Atlanta Beat, Heath moved to Sky Blue FC as part of a trade deal in December 2010. She had only made three appearances for the Beat, having struggled with injury.

In the 2011 Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) season, Heath made 12 appearances for Sky Blue as they finished fifth in the regular season.

Heath moved on to New York Fury upon the folding of the WPS in 2012 and then moved to Paris Saint-Germain in 2013.

Move to Paris Saint-Germain

Heath's time at PSG proved hugely influential in her footballing development. In her initial spell with the French giants, she scored five goals in 12 appearances in all competitions over the space of a six-month contract with the French Division 1 Feminine side.

Heath later returned to PSG from September 2013 to June 2014 after a sore foot impacted her during the beginning of her spell with Portland Thorns in the NWSL. In her second stint in France, she made seven league appearances and did not score.

Portland Thorns years

It was during her time at Portland Thorns in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) that Heath truly came of age in her football career.

In 2013, Portland won the inaugural NWSL Championship title with a 2-0 win over the Western New York Flash in the decisive match as Heath scored a free-kick. Heath was MVP of the championship game.

Houston Dash vs Portland Thorns at BBVA Compass Stadium.

In the 2016 NWSL season, Heath became the first player to notch up nine assists in one campaign in the history of the tournament, as she helped her team to the NWSL Shield title. She captained the team in the absence of Christine Sinclair due to injury to the latter.

A back injury kept Heath out for the bulk of the 2017 NWSL season and it was announced in May of that year that she had taken up a role in the team's Development Academy as Assistant Youth Technical Director.

Heath returned to playing action during the business end of the season, helping her side reach the playoffs and featuring in a 1-0 NWSL Championship final win over North Carolina Courage.

She followed that up with a hugely impressive 2018 season despite missing the beginning while recovering from ankle surgery. Heath made the NWSL Team of the Season and was nominated for NWSL MVP, with the award ultimately going to teammate Lindsay Horan.

On November 12, 2020, Portland lost Heath's NWSL rights to Racing Louisville FC during the Expansion Draft. By this time, she had already signed for Manchester United.

Transfer to Manchester United

On September 9, 2020, FA Women's Super League (FAWSL) club Manchester United announced that they had signed Heath. She provided an assist on debut as United beat Brighton & Hove Albion 3-0.

Manchester United's Tobin Heath celebrates scoring during the FA Women's Super League match at Victoria Road Stadium, London.

Heath scored her first goal for Manchester United on October 18 in a 4-2 win over West Ham United and also scored in her first Manchester derby, a 2-2 draw with Manchester City which saw United come back from 2-0 down.

She won the FA WSL Player of the Month award for November and made the FIFA FIFPro Women's World11 at the The Best FIFA Football Awards 2020.

Moving to Arsenal

On June 24, 2021, Manchester United announced that Heath would leave the club once her contract expired in July. She signed for Arsenal on September 3. She scored four goals in eight appearances for United, with an ankle injury keeping her out of action for a number of games.

International career with the US Women's National Soccer Team

Heath played for USA U16 in 2003/04 and the U17 side in 2004/05. She shone at the 2006 FIFA U-20 Women's World Championship in Russia and was part of the team which won the silver medal at the Pan American Games in Brazil.

She made her senior USWNT debut against Finland at the Four Nations Tournament in China on January 18, 2008. That proved to be a successful year for Heath as she won the Olympic gold medal with the USA in Beijing and scored her first national team goal against Russia at the Algarve Cup.

Heath went on to win the 2009 US Soccer Young Female Athlete of the Year, but suffered disappointment in the following two years as injury hampered her progress in 2010 and she had a penalty saved in the shootout defeat to Japan in the final of the 2011 Women's World Cup.

Tobin Heath during an international friendly match between the women's national teams of the United States (USA) and China PR (CHN) at FirstEnergy Stadium.

However, Heath provided three assists en route to the USA defending their gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics.

The USA claimed revenge on Japan in the final of the 2015 Women's World Cup as Heath scored in a 5-2 win. In 2016, although the US lost to Sweden in the quarter-finals of the Olympics, Heath had more success as she was awarded the US Soccer Female Player of the Year award, beating Crystal Dunn to the prize.

In 2019, Heath started six of seven matches as the USWNT became the only nation besides Germany (2003 and 2007) to win the FIFA Women's World Cup on back-to-back occasions.

Personal life

Heath has a younger brother, Jeffrey, and two older sisters, Perry and Katie, who are known for their involvement in Athletes in Action and Champions for Christ. Heath herself is a strongly committed Christian.

Net worth

As quoted by CNBC, Heath has claimed that playing professional soccer cannot support the sort of lifestyle which she wants to live, given that she is a woman in a sport with pay disparity.

"We don't make enough in our job to live the way that we would want to and to have the support that we would need," said Heath.

"Most of our income doesn't even come from our salary from our employer and we have to find income from other places. And it's this weird dynamic that has happened where our employer isn't held accountable for actually paying us our worth, therefore we have to go out and find our worth in other places."

In 2019, she launched luxury lifestyle brand RE™-Inc. alongside Christen Press, Meghan Klingenberg, and Megan Rapinoe.

Tobin Heath

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