Heather O’Reilly. She might not be the Kobe Bryant of Basketball, she might not be the Yogi Bera of Baseball, and she might not be the Manny Pacquiao of boxing, but to the women’s soccer realm and to her loyal fans, she was the greatest, fastest, most amazing soccer player of all time.
I had the pleasure of meeting the great legend a couple of times… well, to be honest, it was more like a, “Hey what’s up?” and a “OMG I’M A HUGE FAN!” to which she didn’t exactly reply, but she was always the fan favorite because she always seemed excited to see them. She waved to her fellow supporters and really made us feel we could be a part of her life. She wasn’t just a soccer player, but she was a real person, and we, as fans, felt that.
Not to mention, she was clearly the funniest person of the WNT. One of my favorite HAO videos was from 2007 during the Women’s World Cup (which, by the way, the tournament was not as popular as it is now) in China; she was touring Guangzhou stadium and really tried to connect with the culture. To watch it, click here! Another funny HAO moment happened when Lori Chalupny went in for a tackle and her hand accidently collided with HAO’s rock hard abs. As a result, Lori had a broken hand and HAO’s abs… well… they were fine. That video can be seen here :)
Though all these memories basically happened off the field, HAO was very notable on the field. Growing up, I lived in South Brunswick, New Jersey, whose rivals were always East Brunswick, Heather’s hometown. I always remember hearing stories of teams who played against her and how she was truly unstoppable even at the club and high school level. At 17 years young, she showcased her skills on the U.S. Women’s national team in 2002. By 2004, she had made the Olympic roster at 19 and scored a crucial goal against Germany in the tournament semi-final and forever became one of the greatest players in U.S. Soccer history. Throughout the years, she’s obtained 3 olympic gold medals, 1 World Cup Champion title, numerous smaller tournament championships, and a game face that cannot be replicated. For a while, she held the record for fastest Olympic goal scored in Women’s Soccer history (now Janine Beckie from Canada) and was known for being very quick up the flank.
In 2016, HAO did not make the Olympic starting roster. Jill Ellis was criticized for her “lack of HAO fandom”, but like a true player, HAO accepted her new role and supported the team as much as possible, making her a player and person with true class. On September 1, O’Reilly announced her retirement at 31 from international soccer (she will still be playing for the NWSL so no worries, she will still be playing!). She has earned 229 caps, more than anyone of the team and 46 goals. She truly leaves a legacy.
There are so many other great things Heather O’Reilly accomplished, but to name them all might take a whole ‘nother century. But for now, thank you Heather, for everything, for inspiring me and other young women to play and act like a champion. You are the reason other young girls and I played soccer for so long, and I am eternally grateful.
