Legends on the pitch and gamechangers off it, Tobin Heath and Christen Press have revolutionized athlete storytelling, coverage, fashion and more throughout their playing careers. Now, they’re looking to build a lasting legacy off it.
The pair have combined to make over 336 caps for the United States Women’s National Team, contributing 185 goals (100 goals, 85 assists) and playing key roles in two Women’s World Cup winning sides (2015, 2019). And that’s just on the international stage, with both shaping their own legacy at the club level. Press finished her NWSL career with 50 goals, while Heath still holds the record for the most assists in a single season (10 in 2016).
Revolutionaries, innovators and playmakers. Most of all, they are fierce advocates for justice, equality, and refuse to back down from any challenge. As they move on to the next chapter of their careers, their voices will continue to have a everlasting impact moving forward.
Ahead of the 2025 NWSL Championship, All For XI had the privilege to speak with the legends and discuss RE, their respective journeys, how far the league has come, post-retirement bucket lists, Wicked, new merch and more.
Can you speak to us about how you’re using RE’s platform to completely change the game? How has that set the tone for storytelling, coverage, fashion and everything you’re doing not just now but into the future?
Tobin Heath: It has been such an interesting journey so far. I think about our careers and lives as both dreaming and doing at the same time; that it’s like dreaming in action. I mean, it’s like we’re in Inception or something. It’s kind of crazy. We even talk about being here for the past three championship weekends (2023, 2024, 2025) and how much has evolved and grown, and it’s happening so rapidly.
So much about our our own careers, and even starting RE, was just an extension and a natural progression of what we were already doing. RE really came out of our pay equity fight, and also revamping our own Players Association, which is its own business in itself. So we had a lot of learning and education in kind of this weird way while we were players – of what it would even mean to create a company. In hindsight it was revolutionary. What RE ultimately was, and is to this day, is our vehicle to continue to reimagine and redefine and reinvent the women’s sports ecosystem and business. All we have built came out of our frustrations as women’s athletes and what was lacking.
Instead of being frustrated and bitter, we were like, ‘these are actually incredible business opportunities,’ and ‘let’s build and let’s create.’ That’s what we’ve done. In a lot of ways, we have created this awesome surfboard – the waves are coming and the waves are getting bigger, and we’re excited to to ride them, to shape the culture, shape the narrative into one that actually represents our culture, our voices, our stories and our diverse community.
Women’s sports has yet to even scratch the surface of what it is. It’s so unique and exciting, women actually getting to tell their stories from their perspective. Their voices, their outfits, their life experiences. It’s so powerful, and we don’t even know what’s going to come of it. It’s not sports, you’re not really reinventing how to kick a soccer ball, although we can get into that. But like, the actual culture, culture is sports and that’s what’s so exciting. It’s being able to shape, define, enjoy and be authentic to our culture.
You both had such incredible careers. Just looking back at it all, what was the most rewarding aspect of your journey?
Christen Press: That’s a really tough question, because so much of who we are is because of football. One thing that comes to mind is the relationship we have built with this community. I felt really lucky in 2025 to play this year, and feel like I was a little bit in the future as a 36 year old with teammates that were 16 to 20 years old. I got to see the next generation and represent my generation into the future. I was profoundly moved by the connection that I felt with this entire community, and that’s what I believe RE is.
It’s a relationship with a group of people that have done a lot for me, and also one I get to galvanize and grow in a really unique way. I often say, I was given a gift in football so that I could be a part of a larger movement for social justice, rights and opportunity. Now that the soccer playing itself is over, it feels like I’m more perfectly situated in what my dharma is and what my purpose is on this earth. I know I’m doing it in the right group of people, if that makes sense.
NWSL Championship week has celebrated the players. Having the first-ever NWSL Awards Show… Now players are headlining the whole week of wonderful activities. How have you seen those things change and the exponential growth that has come.
TH: If you think back to 2013 until now, I don’t know if there’s anything more exciting and more investable on this planet than women’s sports and AI. You have to feel it, you have to understand it, and it’s still early days in terms of like the numbers. You can physically feel the momentum year over year. It’s almost like NWSL Championship Weekend is a summit and a celebration of how much growth we’ve had in a year.
The players are the biggest drivers of the transformation and I love seeing them be amplified, their voices and their stories being heard, because that’s what makes you love sports. It’s that access. People think, oh, you know, women’s sports all of a sudden is like, new and exciting. It’s like, no, it’s just now you have access to just how awesome it has always been.
I always say that social media has a lot of of bad, right? But social media completely changed the game for women’s sports because now there is no middleman that you have to beg, ask and plead to put you on TV so people in the world know you exist. You can go direct to your audience, direct to your fans. There’s an audience that resonates with women’s sports and resonates with the culture that is women’s sports. That’s what’s so exciting…just connecting those dots. We have only connected a few of them and look at what the ecosystem is doing. Imagine if we connect a few more and you actually create a cohesive ecosystem around the thing people love to cheer for. It’s really exciting to be a part of it as a player, and now, as an entrepreneur and a founder. It’s exciting to build in it. Ultimately, we love representing the players and the growth of of the players, because that’s the perspective we understand best.
You both have always used your platform to promote inclusivity in the women’s soccer community, especially with regards to the queer community. What has it meant for you to see your impact in those spaces?
CP: It has meant a lot. I feel that we have been able to just be ourselves, and in doing so, create pathways and representation for women – for me, for people of color, for queer and lesbians. I think all we had to do was be authentic in our love and our relationship and be intentional about what we kept sacred, private and what we share. I think women’s sports is one of the most inclusive, wonderful pockets of this world, and we’re lucky to be in it. It feels like a duty to keep it that way.
Now that you’re done playing, do you have any bucket list items or fun plans that are coming up?
CP: I mean Men’s World Cup, then the Women’s World Cup, and then the LA Olympics. That’s where I’ll be covering it, telling stories, in the stadiums, behind the microphone, doing all the things. I’m so excited, it’s going to be an epic three years. And it feels like so fun that we got to end our career this year and be wide open to seize these opportunities.
I saw your amazing wicked costumes and loved them. How are you feeling about new movie, Wicked: For Good?
CP: Well, we are here at the NWSL Final, and I think people have actually seen the movie and I haven’t, so that’s very upsetting. But we have tickets, and I’m a little nervous because I didn’t have any expectations for the first movie, and it was so, so good. Now I have expectations. I’m a little nervous because these characters mean so much to me, and I hope that they don’t get it wrong. I just hope Elphaba and Glinda, like, make up.
We saw new apparel dropping… Can you talk about that, share more info about RE moving forward?
TH: Yeah, RE has so many facets to the business. We started with a single t-shirt, so it’s a huge part of our origin story. But also, physical product is so important to connect with our community. I’m a Tar Heel, so if I see a UNC sweatshirt out there or something, I’m like, ‘oh my gosh.’ We have something in common. We have shared values. We know Franklin Street. All these things that are shared – that’s what I believe in physical product. Our RE box logo in particular, for me it’s a sign of our Reimaginers, our community members and it’s a sign of Reimagination. You’re here and showing up in a different way.
I want people all over the world to see (RE) and to be like, ‘those are my people. This is where I want to be.’ That’s why physical products are so important to me. Then it’s about the culture, right? They are products I want to wear. I wear my RE boxers every single day because they’re an incredible product, but also because it represents my values. And every time I put on my RE boxers, it reminds me of the things that I care about, what I’m fighting for. That’s really important to me, and to connecting, to continue to find ways to connect our community.
CP: I’m really excited about this drop because we went back to our core. I love the Sports Reimagined product. I think it’s just really clear in what you value and what you’re doing. For me, it’s going to be the next echoing cry for this community. I love the TRS products. It’s our first time having TRS products available. We have had such an incredible reception for the show. We got to be playful and put in some themes that have come up in the show, right into the product. The Bad Gay t-shirt, as well, as Tobin mentioned. Our core pieces subtly just say who you are and what you’re about. So it feels really like a special collection for us as we go into this holiday and continue to expand who’s a part of the RE-INC world and RE-INC ecosystem.
We have been seeing the RE merch everywhere. What has that been like for you both? To see that support from not just fans, but fellow players too.
CP: It makes me so happy. There have been a couple times where I feel like I get my own RE history reflected back at me. Anytime we do a RE party, people will come in wearing the very first thing we did, all the way up to something we dropped yesterday.
You can see our own evolution as a brand and as humans right in front of us. It’s also how I feel in stadiums when I look up into the crowd. I would see as much RE as I would see (number) 23 and it means something to me to see something that I created, and often Tobin designed, on people’s bodies. The way that our teammates, colleagues and players love the product, it’s my favorite thing. I bring merch into the locker room and the girls go nuts and are fighting over their sizes.
We actually stopped doing as much merch this year, but now we’re kind of back. I’m really excited to send a big box to Angel City, to all the players. I hope that next year you see even more people walking around in gear, because I think it’s a really cool connection point for the women’s soccer community. It subtly connects fans to the coaches, to the players. We’re all in this together, and that’s quite beautiful.
