OL Reign forward Tobin Heath underwent “successful minor routine surgery” on her left knee, the club confirmed on Tuesday. Earlier in the day, Heath posted a photo of herself on Instagram in a hospital bed with her knee wrapped, garnering an outpouring of support from fellow soccer stars.
The Reign added that Heath is recovering and expected to return to the field “in the near future.”
The photo shows Heath giving a thumbs up, with the bed sheets pulled back to display her left leg bandaged at the knee. She wore a sleeve on her left knee during the Women’s Cup title game on Aug. 20, and she has missed OL Reign’s two regular-season games since then with a left leg injury.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by tobin powell heath (@tobinheath)
A post shared by tobin powell heath (@tobinheath)
“No one said it would be easy,” Heath wrote in the caption.
Heath, who was a mainstay for the U.S. women’s national team through the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, received well wishes from several of her USWNT teammates — including Rose Lavelle and Sofia Huerta, who are also her teammates with the OL Reign.
“Twins,” posted Ashlyn Harris, who underwent knee surgery on Aug. 31. “Love you.”
Women’s Super League stars Beth Mead, Katie Zelem and Lia Wälti also commented. Heath played in the WSL for Manchester United and Arsenal from 2020 until earlier this year, when she made her NWSL return with OL Reign.
Arsenal released Heath from her contract in April by mutual agreement after she suffered a hamstring injury. She made 18 appearances for the club. After Heath signed with OL Reign, coach Laura Harvey was vocal about the team not rushing the forward back to the pitch.
“We’re being very conscious with Tobin,” she said in July. “We’re being very cautious, which is hard for me. That’s not the way that I normally roll. We’re being sensible.”