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Tobin Heath and Ashley Sanchez win top USWNT awards
Tobin Heath has been named U.S. Soccer's Female Athlete of the Year for 2016, her first time nabbing the top honor available for the United States women's national team.
This year marked a special one for Heath, both for club and country. Long known for her dazzling tricks and creative style of play, 2016 saw 28-year-old Heath complete a transformation to a seasoned veteran and leader on the pitch. She was one of the USWNT's leaders in minutes, and she helped captain the NWSL Shield-winning Portland Thorns.
Heath took 40 percent of the vote, edging out Crystal Dunn, who had 34 percent. Votes came from national team coaches, national team players who have earned a cap in 2016, NWSL head coaches, select media members, plus former players and administrators.
For the USWNT, Heath played 22 games, tallying a career-best six goals and eight assists as the second-most productive player on the stat sheet behind Crystal Dunn. At the Olympics, she was one of the best and most consistent players for the Americans, scoring two assists there and even filling in as an attacking right back in the final match.
In Portland, Heath set a new league record at 10 assists, despite appearing in just 14 matches and she helped lead the Thorns to the best regular-season record before falling in the playoffs semifinal. She was one of the best and most exciting players in the NWSL, and fans can only wonder what she could've done in the full 20-game season.
While Heath has always captivated fans with her skills – her ankle-breaking elasticos she can perform on the ground or in mid-air are a favorite – it's her growing composure and leadership that have taken her game to a new level. The moments of flash are still there as always, but Heath's decision-making is smarter and more pragmatic, making her trickery that much more effective.
"This year was a difficult one for our team, but overall we played some great soccer so it's humbling to be recognized individually," Heath said in a statement. "I'm just proud to be in the company of all the great players that were nominated and all of the players that played for the USA this year."
Ashley Sanchez also earned a top honor, being named the U.S. Soccer Young Female Athlete of the Year. The 17-year-old represented that U.S. in both the U-17 and U-20 Women's World Cup, and was easily one of the best American players in both competitions.
She played every minute for the U.S. and scored three goals at the U-17 World Cup, which the USA saw an early exit from. She finished her U-17 career with a stunning 21 goals in 21 caps. She then started all six games for the USA at the U-20 World Cup, earning a goal and two assists.
She also won the Golden Ball at the CONCACAF U-17 Women's Championship and earned her first call to train with the senior USWNT, which was surely the first of many future call-ups.
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