Profile

Tobin
Heath

Position Forward
Number 7
Date of Birth May 29 1988
Height 5' 6
Club Arsenal (ENG)

With Tobin Heath’s first touches on the ball – during her first cap for the United States National Team – she nutmegged not one Canadian defender, but two. That moment was emblematic of everything to come: the gasp-inducing improvisation and joyful expression that defines her game. 2019 Tobin appears to have learned to harness the magic to maximum effect – her dribbling-sprees ending in goals more than ever before. For a sneak preview of what Heath is consistently bringing to the table, check out this ridiculous back-heel goal from a 2019 Portland Thorns-Sky Blue NWSL game.

Wandering Tobin Finds A Home

In college, Tobin didn’t want to leave the dorms—she loved communal living, the ability to walk into the hallway and juggle or play guitar with whomever was there. Eventually her friends convinced her to move off-campus to a house, where she lived with three friends up in the attic. After college, Tobin kept that affection for friendship-based living. Essentially a drifter, for years, she’d come back from National Team camp and crash at a different friend’s house each time, “I loved the adventure and connection with friends.” Following the 2015 World Cup, Tobin was finally ready to purchase a home in Portland, where she’s the creative draw for the NWSL’s Thorns. She loves the city as much as its fans love her. “It’s a pretty simple condo, but it’s a great feeling—I’m playing at PDX, I’m going home. To have that familiarity, it’s a kind of feeling I haven’t had since childhood—it’s a super warm, an awesome feeling,” says Heath. But, she’s quick to add, she will always have a nomad’s spirit.

WNT Veteran

The surfing, skateboarding, juggling free spirit is now passed thirty years old. “I think I’ve always been a younger player and now I’m a veteran of sorts. It’s been a natural kind of progression and it’s been something I’ve really enjoyed. I was always, always younger, and it’s pretty cool now to take in all that experience from the past players, and use that to shape what kind of player and teammate I want to be,” says Heath. “I love the responsibility of being an older player. I love this feeling to step up for your team and make something happen.”