Christen Press and Tobin Heath return to ESPYs red carpet

Christen Press and Tobin Heath attended the 2023 ESPYs Awards together. (David Livingston/FilmMagic)

U.S. women’s national team stars Christen Press and Tobin Heath discussed teammate Megan Rapinoe’s announcement of her impending retirement at the 2023 ESPYs red carpet.

Press and Heath both played for the USWNT at the 2019 World Cup but are dealing with injuries that kept them off the roster for the upcoming tournament in Australia and New Zealand. The pair attended the ESPYs alongside other USWNT players, past and present, to accept the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage, which the team received in recognition of its fight for pay equity.

“To my teammates about to kick off the 2023 World Cup: LFG,” Press said at the conclusion of her acceptance speech.

Christen Press's message to the USWNT 🗣

(via @espn) pic.twitter.com/RX6TVsA1wW
— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) July 13, 2023

Press and Heath walked the red carpet together for the second year in a row. Press wore a dress by Alexandre Vauthier, while Heath paired her Oofos slides with white socks.

Before the awards ceremony, they stopped to talk with Entertainment Tonight about Rapinoe, who announced earlier this month that she will retire from soccer at the end of the 2023 NWSL season. The 38-year-old forward played alongside Press and Heath at the 2019 World Cup, and she is preparing to play in her fourth and final World Cup tournament.

“She has led us on and off the field for decades,” Press said. “She is someone that we have both played really closely with, that we both looked up to, that we’ve both learned from, and we will continue to do so, because the beauty of Megan Rapinoe is what she does on the field is only a fraction of who she is and what she stood for, and what she stood against.

“I’m very confident that she will continue to lead us into the next chapters of her life.”

Heath agreed with Press, adding: “Amen. I couldn’t have said it better myself.”