Heather Mitts

  • U.S. National Team: WNT
  • Position: Defender
  • Date Of Birth: June 9, 1978
  • Height: 5-5
  • Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Club: Philadelphia Independence
Before 2004, she had played five times for the full National Team, one match each in 1999, 2001, 2002 and two in 2003 … Since breaking into the team full time in 2004, she has earned 91 caps … 2008: Returned from major knee injury just in time to be earn a spot on the Olympic Team, starting all three of the USA’s domestic games over late April and early May …Started 24 of 25 matches she played for the USA including all six at the 2008 Olympics as she played a key role in the USA’s gold medal run … Had one assist, that coming in the Olympic semifinal against Japan as she threw the ball in to Heather O’Reilly, who scored … Spent the last half of 2007 and first half of 2008 rehabilitating from ACL surgery … 2007: Played in eight matches, starting them all, before she suffered an ACL injury against Canada on May 12 that knocked her out of contention for a spot on the Women’s World Cup Team … 2006: Played in 22 matches, most of the team, and started 20 games, tied for most … Was second on the team in minutes played with 1,759 … 2005: Started and played every minute of the 2005 Algarve Cup at right back … Started eight of the USA’s nine matches during the year … 2004: A member of the USA’s 2004 Olympic Residency Camp, she had a breakout year, playing in 28 games while starting 17 … Played in her first world championship at the 2004 Olympics, seeing time in two matches included playing 90 minutes against Australia … Scored the first two goals of her career in 2004, both game-winners on goalmouth scrambles after corner kicks, tallying against Canada on July 3 and in a wild 4-3 win over Iceland during the “Fan Appreciation Tour” on Sept. 25 … 2001: Was called into training camp for the 2001 Nike U.S. Women’s Cup and made the game roster of 18 … Youth National Teams: Was a member of the U.S. Under-21 Women’s National Team Pool in 1999-2000 … Was a member of the U-21 team that won the 1999 Nordic Cup in Iceland … First Appearance: Feb. 24, 1999, vs. Finland … First Goal: July 3, 2004, vs. Canada.
 
Allocated to the Boston Breakers for the inaugural WPS season in 2009 … Selected in the second round of the inaugural WUSA Draft by the Philadelphia Charge in 2001 … Started all 51 games in which she played for the Charge over three seasons, helping the club to the WUSA playoffs in the first two years … Was a WUSA All-Star in 2003 … Played 4414 minutes in her WUSA career and had eight career assists … Broke her tibia in WUSA action in 2003 and was sidelined for five weeks during the WNT’s lead-up to the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup … Etc.: Was a member of the Cardinal Premier team that won a national championship in 1997 … Won two Ohio state titles with Club Cincinnati.
 
Played at Florida from 1996-1999 and ranks as the all-time leader in games played (95), starts (94) and minutes played (7,547) … Only game she didn’t start was the very first game of her freshman year … Helped the Gators to its first and only NCAA title in women’s soccer in 1998 … Helped Florida win the SEC title all four years of her career … Was named Most Inspirational Player as a Freshman at UF and was team MVP as a senior … Was an NSCAA First-Team All-American as a senior and Third-Team as a junior … Named to the NCAA All-Tournament after the NCAA Championship run and All-SEC First-Team as a junior … Was also a SEC All-Academic pick … Was a First-Team All-State selection as a junior and senior at St. Ursula Academy, which went 70-5-10 during her career, winning the 1993 state title.

Full name is Heather Blaine Mitts … Graduated with a degree in Advertising … Worked for ESPN as a sideline reporter on college football during the 2005 seasons … Served as a studio analyst for ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 during the 2003 and 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cups and was the sideline reporter for several MLS broadcasts in 2005 and 2006 … Has done color commentary for Sunshine Network and for Fox Sports South on women’s college soccer games … Appeared on the cover of Philadelphia Magazine in June of 2002 as one of the city’s “Sexiest Singles” … Was voted sexiest player in the WUSA on Playboy.com during the 2001 season … Also was voted ESPN.com’s “Sexiest Female Athlete” in 2004 … The first soccer player ever to appear in FHM in a five-page photo spread … Was on the cover of the Sports Illustrated for Women college preview issue in 1999 … Also appeared in the 2005 SI Swimsuit Issue with fiancé A.J. Feeley, a quarterback with the Philadelphia Eagles … She will be married in February of 2010 … Co-hosted the “Tailgate Show” on Comcast SportsNet, the pre-game for the Philadelphia Eagles home games in 2004 … “Ran with the Bulls” in Pamplona, Spain in 1999 …  Loves watching and playing sports … Traveling, food and wine are her passions … Loves to play golf, tennis and squash … Has a web site at www.heathermitts.com … Father, Don, a cardiac surgeon at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, played basketball at Kentucky under Adolph Rupp … Brother Brian played soccer at the University of Kentucky … Her mother, Jan Peck, is a personal trainer.

 

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