“I would say that when I put on my first Manchester United educational uniform, I felt huge in a special way, like a dream of years of training,” says football star Tobin Heath. “We don’t have this story in the US. But it’s not the first time So being able to wear a blouse just like an American was special.
In the 12 years since a teenage girl, Heath, first wore the foreign jersey of the most successful women’s team in history, she has won every single primary honor she has in the United States. 32, when she first put on a Manchester United blouse yesterday, she felt the weight of history and culture that accompanies the performance of one of the world’s largest football clubs.
This month, Heath, along with fellow U. S. team-mate Christen Press, signed a one-year contract to play for Manchester United Women, who was recently fourth in the FA Women’s Super League standings. as they went through two weeks of quarantine before they can begin education with their new teammates. With Tottenham Hotspur’s new signing, Alex Morgan, who is still on his way to fitness after the birth of his first child, Heath and Press are expected to play the first two world cup champions in England when Manchester United resumed their season after the international break at Brighton and Hove Albion in early October.
Founded in 2018, Manchester United Women do not have the men’s past, however, after a rapid promotion to the women’s league in England, the team finished in a very honorable fourth in their first season in the FA Women’s Super League. Casey Stoney, former england captain, played Heath in a rare Lioness victory over the United States in 2011.
“Me when Manchester United entered the league,” Heath says, “and I say, “Wow, that’s huge. It’s huge for a club like this to have a women’s team. “It’s so vital for clubs with all this tradition, history. , strength and influence, we see it in America all the time, which means the shield in the club, it is huge for them to have a women’s team and see the progress they have made and what they have put into it. encouraging for the global game as a whole. So yes, we want more of that, and I’m pleased to be a component of it. “
Heath was talking in front of a Lego box containing a mock-up of Manchester United’s Old Trafford Stadium, anything that would have occupied it for the two weeks (“It’s hard!” he said). However, he is no stranger to gambling at the stadium, performing twice at the so-called Theater of Dreams, America’s triumphant race for Olympic gold in 2012. She admits nerding. It’s funny because yesterday I was really at Old Trafford and it reminded me of a lot of memories,” he says. It’s such an iconic position for any footballer. I had all the feeling when I got back.
“Every footballer’s dream would be to play for Manchester United and play at Old Trafford. The terrain has that iconic feeling. It has increased as if it were almost a stage for the players, and at all times I have appreciated the fact. “you can swipe over the edges. Seeing the little nuances, you know, it’s special to be there. “
After seven years with the Portland Thorns, Heath felt it was time to see something new. “As a footballer, I’m never happy with my situation,” he said. “I like to keep evolving as a player, and the only position you can do that is when you feel uncomfortable and when you’re home too long, it’s not like that. “
She adds: “Every opportunity you have in life to do something unique, that challenges and pushes you, is an opportunity that I must seize, especially as a footballer. Our careers are very short and I have been very patient in my expectations. our quarantine and lockdown in the United States, and at some point you never know what the right resolution is, however, you have to take one, and I decided to come, and in fact I am satisfied with my resolution. I love learning and I love growing up and overcoming myself, and at this point in my career, it’s a wonderful position to do so. “
Heath’s biography on social media lists a passage from the Bible, Ephesians 2: 8-9: “For by grace, you have been stored through religion. And it’s not his own action, it’s God’s gift. Ever since she started playing football at age 4, her religion and football have gone hand in hand. “He has fed on my whole life; that’s all I’m talking about, ” he says. “I see my gift of football as a tool to bring joy and bring peace and love to others, and this is something I’m lucky enough to locate at such a young age. it has been a gift to me, just like my life; for others, this is the most vital thing, so it encompasses everything I do, especially football.
Trained in the transatlantic politics of the English Premier League, Heath admits to being an Arsenal fan. “As a football fan, anything was just a dream to be able to watch games on TV,” he says. “When I was a kid, I had to buy, I was with me, but I literally had to buy game tapes, have groups and highlights and be able to bring them to see me and teach me about the league and the players. “When he faces Arsenal on November 7, Heath will have mixed feelings, he admits, saying, “In fact, it will be another feeling. It’s already a little strange, but let’s see what it’s like. “
Morgan’s move to Tottenham Hotspur has made her the fifth member of the 2019 World Cup winning team to move to England. Heath and Press will team up in Manchester through Rose Lavelle and Samantha Mewis, who have joined United’s rival, Manchester City. ahead of the rivalry. ” We’re constantly competing with each other and opposing each other, so it’s something we know very well,” he says. “Honestly, I got excited when I saw that Rose and Sam were coming because I think it was a very awkward time, and feeling uncomfortable and making this move, I think it was huge, so I have massive respect for it because it’s not easy and shows how much they value their careers. all here, there’s a kind of clever familiarity about it, but I think we’re all used to competing right now. “
Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City have remained in the most sensible positions in recent years, so winning the English league name may go beyond Manchester United this season, but Heath believes he will claim a position in the most sensible 3 and one position. in next season’s Champions League. It’s a realistic goal. ” There are many more things to compete for,” he says. “There is the FA Cup and also the goals in the Champions League, which would be huge. Third place in the Champions League this year will be a crazy competition, so that way, the league has strengthened and that’s what you have to see in any league, you have to see the competition. the most competitive league and that Man United is challenging for all those things. Just by looking at the ambition, the attitude of women and the coach, I know what the club is, that’s their ambition. I wouldn’t come to a club that I don’t have those ambitions. »
Last year, Heath and Press, along with other national team players Meghan Klingenburg and Megan Rapinoe, presented a clothing line called Re-Inc, whose purpose was to “boldly reimagine the prestige quo”, protecting equality, creativity, progress and art. “They helped the Black Lives Matter motion with a donation and sales proceeds sent to Black Visions Collective, an organization that aims to create a political home for Minnesota blacks. As Heath explained,” I think athletes in general are beginning to recognize not only their individual strength, but also their collective strength. It’s amazing to see the positive strength of the game for change. I think rarely does everyone need us to be athletes, yet we are much more than that. we stand up and, and we are in combination in this period, to help racial justice in our country, and I think there is nothing more important».
After traveling the world watching soccer for 20 years, attending matches in more than 80 cities in some 40 countries, I have covered the men’s and women’s World Cups and
After traveling the world watching football for 20 years, attending matches in more than 80 cities in about 40 countries, I covered men’s and women’s World Cups and European Championships as a journalist. I also write for The Morning Star and the anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out I graduated from the University of Manchester with a law degree.