USL Feature
Friday, April 1, 2011
By NICHOLAS MURRAY
Wherever Tobin Heath has gone, success has seemed to follow.
It started early, with Heath’s PDA Wildcats winning US Youth Soccer National Championship in 2003 in the girls U15 division. The Wildcats would go on to reach the final twice more during Heath’s time with the club before she earned three national championships in four years at the University of North Carolina.
Add in an Olympic Gold medal from the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing and a pair of W-League championships with the New Jersey Wildcats and Pali Blues before being selected No. 1 in the Women’s Professional Soccer draft in 2010, and you have quite a resume for a player who doesn’t turn 23 until May 29th this year. But despite all the success, and all the attention that’s come with it, Heath remains mentally grounded and focused on finding success in the future.
“I don't really notice the attention that much,” Heath said by e-mail from England. “Hopefully the attention I do receive I can use to impart some gift into the younger generation that watches me play. I simply just love playing soccer and that is what I bring to every team I’m a part of.”
For Heath, and the U.S. Women’s National Team she is now a fixture on, finding success this summer at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany is the next goal. Currently preparing for their exhibition against England on Saturday, which can be seen on ESPN2 at 3 p.m. ET, Heath believes the team is on track for a strong performance this summer.
“Our preparations for the World Cup have been very positive,” Heath said. “Every day the team gets to spend together allows us to develop more and more as a team. The team is really starting to gel and I think every individual player is starting to come into form as well. We are on pace and we still have lot of hard work to do before we head to Germany.”
Heath’s W-League career began while she was still a youth player, competing for the New Jersey Wildcats for three seasons between 2004-06. In 2004 she was named to the W-League Championship All-Tournament team as the Wildcats fell in the final before the club went one step better the following season, winning the 2005 championship.
After heading to UNC, Heath joined the Pali Blues for the 2009 season, helping the club to a championship as well. There she was able to play alongside current USWNT teammate Lauren Cheney, and was able to add additional experience to that which she gained in the national team and UNC.
“I always enjoyed playing in the W-league,” Heath said. “I think it is a fantastic environment for the growth of any soccer player. The W-league provided me with quality coaches and introduced me to some great players.”
Not that Heath isn’t still learning. Entering her second season in WPS, and now with Sky Blue FC after an offseason trade with the Atlanta Beat, Heath still takes every opportunity to learn from her teammates.
“The greatest gift these older players have given me is encouragement,” Heath said. “In practice and games they encourage me to be a better player. Off the field my teammates encourage me to be more professional. It’s cool because it’s not really through talking about it but it’s through watching how they do things.”
Hopefully, the development Heath has shown from her 24 caps prior to Saturday’s game will pay off for the U.S. this summer.
“I think it would be pretty sweet,” Heath said. “The World Cup is a special tournament for all soccer players. Playing with the best players and against the best players is what it’s all about and I would definitely embrace that challenge and experience.”