The U.S. women’s national team is playing in the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand without a number of familiar faces.

Just Women’s Sports is taking a look at who those players are and why they’re absent. Next up: Tobin Heath.

Position: Winger
Total caps: 181
Most recent USWNT appearance: Oct. 26, 2021 vs. South Korea (Friendly)

Where is Heath?

Heath played for Arsenal in the first half of 2022, but her time with the Gunners came to an end prematurely due to a hamstring injury. Under mutual consent, her contract was terminated so that she could return to the U.S. for treatment.

“We haven’t been able to quite get her over [the injuries] well enough to complete 90 minutes yet,” Arsenal coach Jonas Eidevall said before Heath’s departure. “It wasn’t part of the plan when we brought her in, and I would have loved to see her play 90 minutes more often in this team because she is a great player with really great qualities.”

She then joined OL Reign as a free agent last July. Making five appearances and scoring one goal with characteristic Heath flair, a game-winning strike through the goalkeeper’s legs, she appeared to be making an impact. But the 35-year-old once again found herself on the sidelines, undergoing season-ending surgery on her knee in September.

“Although this wasn’t an easy decision, we know this was the right decision,” said Reign coach Laura Harvey.

When will she return?

It’s unclear as of now when Heath will return to the field. She isn’t signed to a team and hasn’t been seen training much, outside of a video of her and Christen Press working out together in January. In March, Vlatko Andonovski noted that Heath was “absolutely” still a possibility for World Cup selection; in April, he reiterated that the two-time World Cup champion was in “return-to-play protocol.”

There haven’t been any updates on Heath’s progress since then, although she has made public appearances, most recently at the ESPYs and in a video promoting a World Cup show she and Press are hosting. She did tell The Athletic that she is sitting out the World Cup for both physical and mental reasons.

Heath’s last competitive match of any kind came on Aug. 14, 2022 against Gotham FC. She came off the OL Reign bench for the second half and picked up a yellow card.

Who else is absent from the World Cup roster?

• Where is Becky Sauerbrunn?
• Where is Mallory Swanson?
• Where is Christen Press?
• Where is Catarina Macario?
• Where is Sam Mewis?

WNBA legend Elena Delle Donne is returning to the court, with USA Basketball announcing on Monday that the two-time league MVP will join the 3×3 Women's National Team as its first-ever managing director.

The 36-year-old officially retired in April 2025 after struggling with injuries, capping a career that spanned winning gold at the 2016 Olympics and the 2018 FIBA World Cup with Team USA as well as two WNBA championships.

"Elena has been a member of the USA Basketball family for almost 15 years," USA Basketball CEO Jim Tooley said in Monday's press release. "Her wealth of knowledge of the sport of basketball and our organization will be an asset as we continue our journey."

As part of her duties, Delle Donne will be responsible for selecting the USA Basketball 3x3 team's coaching staff and players prior to the 2028 LA Olympics, the FIBA 3x3 World Cup, and other major international competitions.

"USA Basketball was an important part of my on-court career for a decade and a half. To have the opportunity to continue my journey with the organization, and to help shape and grow the 3x3 program, is something that I take very seriously," Delle Donne said. "I'm excited to get started."

Delle Donne's new position is the 3x3 version of fellow WNBA icon Sue Bird's role, as the newly minted Hall of Famer became the managing director of the USA Basketball women's 5x5 arm in May.

"To now think that I'm going to be on the other side of the phone letting someone know that their dream has come true and they've made the team is going to be such a fulfilling, full circle moment for me," Delle Donne said.

Racing Louisville midfielder Savannah DeMelo collapsed on the pitch during an NWSL match against the Seattle Reign on Sunday, with the late first-half medical event causing the teams to postpone the remainder of the game.

Cameras quickly cut away as trainers and medical personnel rushed to DeMelo's side and players cleared the field for an early halftime, with both sides soon announcing they were abandoning the then-scoreless match as an ambulance took DeMelo to a local hospital.

Racing later notified fans via social media that DeMelo was "stable and alert," while several reporters noted that the 27-year-old recently received a diagnosis of Graves' disease and hyperthyroidism — conditions that can cause an irregular or rapid heartbeat.

"I'm lucky to have my family with me while I'm waiting for test results to come back," DeMelo said in a club statement late Monday. "I'm extremely thankful to our whole medical staff for the quick response. They've been with me every step of the way."

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NWSL decision to postpone play addresses past criticisms

DeMelo's situation is the second major medical event this NWSL season, following the mid-match collapse of Angel City defender Savy King in May.

At that time, the NWSL opted to continue play after an ambulance transported King off the pitch — a decision that the NWSL Players Association (NWSLPA) heavily criticized.

In the aftermath of that match, league commissioner Jessica Berman promised that games would not continue in any similar future situations — a shift reflected in the halting of Sunday's clash.

"Postponing the match was the right decision, as nothing is more important than the safety of players and staff on the field," the NWSLPA wrote on Monday. "This is a challenging time for all those affected, and we ask for continued respect of everyone's privacy."

"We recognize the concern this incident may cause, particularly in light of recent conversations around player safety," the league said in a statement. "The NWSL remains committed to ensuring that the highest standards of medical care and emergency response are in place at every match."

Beginning with second-half play, the conclusion of the currently 0-0 match between Racing Louisville and the Seattle Reign will be played without fans at 8 PM ET on Tuesday, though the game will be available to stream live on Paramount+ and NWSL+.

Paige Bueckers is the 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year, the league announced early Tuesday, as the Dallas Wings guard becomes the fifth consecutive No. 1 draft pick to win the award.

Bueckers is the first Wings player to earn the honor since Allisha Gray in 2017, finishing the 2025 season averaging 19.2 points, 5.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game and shooting 47.4% from the field.

The 23-year-old was the only player this season to finish in the Top 10 league-wide in points, assists, and steals per game — all while becoming the fastest rookie in WNBA history to notch 500 points and 100 assists.

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While the conversation around the Class of 2025 included several high performers, the Rookie of the Year vote proved to be near unanimous, with Bueckers receiving 70 of the sports media panel's 72 votes.

The remaining two votes went to Washington Mystics rookie Sonia Citron.

While the race tightened as Citron heated up mid-season, Bueckers's August 20th rookie-record 44-point performance against the LA Sparks likely shut the door to any challengers.

"I know that we continue to do things the right way, we continue to believe in each other, continue to invest our whole lives into this basketball thing, the results will come," Bueckers told reporters after Dallas ended the season with a 10-34 record — securing the highest odds for next year's No. 1 draft pick.

Game 1 of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs is in the books, with the top two seeds putting up more than 100 points each in blowout wins when the postseason tipped off on Sunday.

The No. 1 Minnesota Lynx opened the playoffs' eight-team first round with a 101-72 drubbing of the No. 8 Golden State Valkyries, as MVP frontrunner Napheesa Collier led scoring with 20 points while guard Natisha Hiedeman added 18 off the bench.

Elsewhere, the No. 2 Las Vegas Aces' 102-77 victory over the No. 7 Seattle Storm capped Sunday's slate, with reigning MVP A'ja Wilson leading the way with 29 points alongside double-digit performances off the bench from guards Jewell Loyd and Dana Evans.

The lower seeds walked away less unscathed, as Valkyries boss and Coach of the Year favorite Natalie Nakase picked up a technical foul for arguing a call in the game's second half.

"I want a fair fight, I really do. I want a clean fight, but I love the fact that both teams are playing their hearts out," she said afterwards, criticizing Sunday's officiating. "They're fighting. But I would like it to be fair."

"I understand it, but it's the playoffs," Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve said in response. "Obviously, we fouled a lot at the end. But I didn't think that was a factor in the game."

How to watch the top seeds in Game 2 of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs

Both Minnesota and Las Vegas are now one win away from advancing to the 2025 WNBA Playoffs semifinals.

The No. 2 Aces will look to sweep the No. 7 Storm at 9:30 PM ET on Tuesday, airing live on ESPN.

Then on Wednesday, the No. 1 Lynx will try to silence the No. 8 Valkyries at 10 PM ET, with live coverage also on ESPN.