By STEFAN BONDY - NEW YORK, NY (Jan 15, 2010) USSoccerPlayers -- Tobin Heath had many reasons to play it safe, to restrain her flashy ambitions during such a precarious moment. First caps are always nerve-racking. It would seem especially true for a 19-year-old playing an unfamiliar position at left back.
But Heath isn't one to suppress herself, no matter the stage, no matter the defender standing guard. Two years ago, with her very first touch for the US Women's National Team, Heath dribbled through the legs of her Finnish opponent at the Four Nations Cup.
Quite a beginning.
"When you get first get call-up, you're usually coming into the games late and you don't have much time to make an impression," she said. "You have to find a way to stand out whenever you get the ball."
Now an Olympic gold medalist, a three-time NCAA champion at North Carolina and the likely No. 1 pick in Thursday's WPS draft , Heath, 21, can not only pull off nutmegs with the same self assurance, but also with confidence from those around -- including US coach Pia Sundhage, who was caught fist-pumping during one of Heath's dribbling exhibitions.
That's not to say the Heath is comfortable with her status. "Impression" remains an important part of her vocabulary, although for different reasons.
Heath, a native of Basking Ridge, NJ, didn't grow up with professional aspirations. WUSA folded when she was 15, a mere adolescent rising through the PDA ranks. All of Heath's goals were geared toward the National Team and UNC, where Tobin would become a First Team All-American.
After a disappointing sophomore campaign that ended with a Sweet 16 defeat, Tobin emerged as a Division I star and the leader of the storied program that won consecutive titles in 2008 and 2009. She also was the youngest player named to the 2008 Olympic squad. All the while, Heath maintained a flair that earned her comparisons to Brazilian stars such as Marta.
"When I got there as a freshman, we were replacing a big class that included Lindsey Tarpley. We weren't expected to replace those girls. But then when we got to the Final Four and we just thought it was normal, that this is how it is," said Heath, who needs one more semester to complete a degree in Communications, although she's taking time off to prepare for the WPS season. "We won a national championship and we took it for granted. Then our sophomore year, we were overconfident and it but us in the butt.
"That was a huge learning experience for me, for all of us."
When WPS debuted last year, it gave a Heath a purpose beyond North Carolina. It's also a delicate situation: As with any fledgling league, WPS is searching for financial stability and a strong fan base, the former having doomed WUSA.
For that reason, Tobin will take the field as not only a star player, but also as a promoter and a showman - one who studies the ball tricks of Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi.
Again, she's all about impression. Tobin would rather attack a defender than lay it off.
"It has to be exciting. People have to come to watch and have fun. There's definitely a huge market for (WPS), but it's just a matter of doing things right - and that's established on the field," Tobin said. "I run into people all the time that doesn't know the league even exists. It's going tough the first few years."
Would she nutmeg a player to please the crowd?
"Yeah, sure."
Tobin's likely destination is Atlanta, which owns the No. 1 pick as an expansion club. She has hopes of joining former UNC teammates Heather O'Reilly and Yael Averbuch at Sky Blue, which plays roughly 30 minutes from her hometown, but it's an unrealistic ambition given the draft order (Sky Blue picks sixth).
"New Jersey holds a special place in my heart," she said. "But you can't stay in one place forever."
The show must go on.
Stefan Bondy covers soccer for the Bergin Record where he keeps a blog.
