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Tobin Heath says she felt 'powerless' watching the US struggle at the World Cup, but thinks it's 'unfair' to question players' motivation

Aug 10, 2023, 04:43 IST
Insider
Tobin Heath reacts to a call against the US Women's National Team during the 2019 World Cup.Quality Sport Images/Getty Images
  • Tobin Heath told Insider she felt "powerless" watching the USWNT compete at the World Cup.
  • She and fellow veteran Christen Press became emotional discussing the loss on "The RE—CAP Show."
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Like many Americans watching this summer's World Cup, Tobin Heath had a tough time watching the US Women's National Team compete.

The sensational forward — who has won two World Cups and two Olympic gold medals with The Stars and Stripes — has offered commentary throughout the tournament alongside fellow USWNT veteran Christen Press on "The RE—CAP Show," an extension of their RE—INC lifestyle brand. And as the US scraped through the knockout stage and lost in the Round of 16, Heath became increasingly alarmed by the state of affairs.

"It's a lot easier being on the field than watching for me, because you can actually do something about things on the field," Heath told Insider. "In a way, you feel a little bit powerless as a spectator. So I'm getting a new perspective."

Heath with the US Women's National Team at the 2019 World Cup.AP Photo/David Vincent

"But look, I'm a football fan — like, insane, obsessed with football — so it's not like this is the first time I'm watching football," she added. "I do look at it through a very critical lens in terms of the football."

Heath's criticism, as she explained in stunning detail on several episodes of "The RE—CAP Show," revolved around the USWNT's startling lack of tactical flexibility throughout the World Cup. Without sufficient in-game adjustments or adequate substitutions, the American side looked "out of balance, disconnected, on different pages," as Heath told Welsh star Jess Fishlock after the USWNT's draw against Portugal.

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And once the USWNT lost to Sweden — a result Heath admitted she saw coming — the New Jersey native became emotional that the squad had not been "prepared in the way that it needs to be for a world championship."

US Women's National Team players chat during their group stage match against Portugal.Carmen Mandato/USSF/Getty Images

"I've become passionate about this because I dedicated my whole life to that team, since I was a kid," Heath said through tears on the show. "I'm a fucking mess because when I see that team, I don't see myself in that team."

"I love those players to death; those players are closer to me than anything in this world," she added. "And when I don't see my players being set up to succeed, that breaks my heart."

Unlike USWNT alumna-turned-commentator Carli Lloyd, who questioned the players' "passion," Heath told Insider she thinks it's "unfair and not correct to say that this team is lacking any kind of motivation." She did, however, express concerns that the team's lack of preparedness dating back to the Tokyo Olympics stunted the players' confidence and cohesion.

Heath noted on Episode 5 of her and Press' show that she sensed "this complacency in 'Well, we made it to the Round of 16'" that she had never seen among USWNT rosters of the past. She added that the early exits of fellow women's soccer powerhouses like Germany and Brazil allowed the US to "hide behind this shadow of 'The world's catching up, the game's changing.'"

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Such an excuse "doesn't belong in the US Women's National Team," she said, because "being part of the US Women's National Team, you don't compare yourself to anyone." She hopes that the once-prevalent "expectation that the US women's team is gonna go out and dominate" doesn't subside, she told Insider.

"If we, as the people watching and cheering, lose that belief, that's a sad day for the US Women's National Team," Heath added. "Because I think it's the ultimate show of respect that that is the expectation for this team."

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