Heather O'Reilly facts for kids
Heather O'Reilly with her 2012 Olympics gold medal
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Heather Ann O'Reilly | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | January 2, 1985 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | East Brunswick, New Jersey, United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Midfielder/winger | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2006 | North Carolina Tar Heels | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | New Jersey Wildcats | 9 | (8) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | Sky Blue FC | 50 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | Boston Breakers | 44 | (14) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | FC Kansas City | 27 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Arsenal | 24 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | North Carolina Courage | 21 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | Shelbourne | 4 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| United States U-19 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| United States U-21 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2016 | United States | 231 | (47) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Heather Ann O'Reilly (born January 2, 1985) is a famous American soccer player. She played as a midfielder or winger. Heather was a key player for the United States women's national soccer team (USWNT). With the USWNT, she won three Olympic gold medals and a FIFA Women's World Cup.
From 2003 to 2006, she played college soccer for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. During her professional career, O'Reilly played for several teams. These included the New Jersey Wildcats, Sky Blue FC, Boston Breakers, FC Kansas City, Arsenal, North Carolina Courage, and Shelbourne.
When she first retired from international play in September 2016, she was one of the world's most experienced soccer players. She had played in over 230 international games. She is known for her skill as a flank player. She is also tied for fifth in USWNT history for assists. She is the eighth most capped player in USWNT history. On October 27, 2019, she played her last game for the North Carolina Courage. She won the 2019 NWSL championship before retiring.
Heather O'Reilly is currently a soccer analyst for Fox Sports. On July 28, 2022, she announced she would return to play for Women's National League team Shelbourne. She wanted to play in their upcoming UEFA Women's Champions League games. She even scored a winning goal in her first game against ZNK Pomurje.
Contents
Early Life and High School Soccer
Heather O'Reilly was born to Andrew and Carol O'Reilly. She is the youngest of four children. She grew up in East Brunswick, New Jersey. Heather went to Saint Bartholomew's School and later played on the girls' soccer team at East Brunswick High School. In her four years there, she scored an amazing 143 goals. In 2001, as a junior, she helped her team win the New Jersey state high school title.
During high school, O'Reilly was a member of the National Honor Society. She also played on the school's basketball team. In her senior year, she was named an All-American. She was also named National Player of the Year by Parade Magazine. In 2002, she won the Gatorade High School National Player of the Year award. She was also named the National Soccer Coaches Association Player of the Year. Soccer America also called her the top college recruit in the country.
College Soccer at North Carolina
O'Reilly studied education at the University of North Carolina. She played as a forward for the North Carolina Tar Heels women's soccer team from 2003 to 2006. She played in 97 games for the Tar Heels. She scored 59 goals and made 49 assists. She helped her team win national championships in 2003 and 2006.
In her senior year, ESPN the Magazine named her the All-American Player of the Year. She also received the NCAA's Today's Top VIII Award. As a senior, she won the Honda Sports Award as the best college soccer player in the nation.
In 2008, the university retired O'Reilly's No. 20 jersey. This honor meant her jersey number would no longer be used by other players. She joined other famous athletes like Mia Hamm with this special recognition.
Professional Club Career
New Jersey Wildcats (2004–2005)
O'Reilly played for the New Jersey Wildcats in the W-League from 2004 to 2005. She helped them win the league championship in 2005.
Sky Blue FC (2009–2011)
Heather O'Reilly joined Sky Blue FC in the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league on September 16, 2008. She was a co-captain and played in 17 games during the first season in 2009. She helped Sky Blue reach the playoffs. In the 2009 WPS Championship game against Los Angeles, she scored the only goal. This goal helped her team win the championship title.
Boston Breakers (2012–2014)
After the WPS league stopped operating, O'Reilly played two games with the Boston Breakers in 2012. This was during breaks from her national team duties. In 2013, when the new National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) started, she was assigned to the Breakers.
FC Kansas City (2015–2016)
On October 27, 2014, FC Kansas City announced they had signed O'Reilly. She joined the team through a player trade.
Arsenal (2017–2018)
On January 18, 2017, Arsenal in England announced they had signed O'Reilly. Arsenal is a top team in the Women's Super League, which is the highest level of women's professional soccer in England. After playing 38 games and scoring four goals, Arsenal confirmed she would leave the club in the summer of 2018.
North Carolina Courage (2018–2019)
After FC Kansas City stopped playing, Heather O'Reilly's NWSL rights were held by Utah Royals FC. On June 28, 2018, the North Carolina Courage traded for O'Reilly. She played in 8 regular season games and both playoff games for the Courage. North Carolina won the NWSL Shield (for finishing first in the regular season) and the NWSL Championship (for winning the playoffs).
North Carolina also played in the 2018 Women's International Champions Cup. O'Reilly started in the championship game and scored a goal in the 10th minute. The Courage beat Olympique Lyonnais 1–0 to win this new tournament.
On April 12, 2019, O'Reilly announced that she would retire from professional soccer. Her last season was the 2019 NWSL Season.
Shelbourne (2022)
On July 28, 2022, O'Reilly surprised many by announcing she would come out of retirement. She decided to play for the Irish champions Shelbourne. She wanted to fulfill her dream of playing in the UEFA Women's Champions League (UWCL). She had been encouraged by former coach Arsène Wenger to keep playing. She liked Shelbourne's offer because she is an Irish American.
O'Reilly played her first game for Shelbourne on July 30, 2022, against Sligo Rovers. On August 18, 2022, she started for Shelbourne in their UEFA Women's Champions League qualifier against Slovenian team Pomurje. O'Reilly scored the only goal of the game with a header in the fourth minute. After Shelbourne was eliminated from the Champions League, O'Reilly took a short break. She later rejoined the team in October 2022.
O'Reilly enjoyed playing for Shelbourne. She was happy to help them win the 2022 Women's National League title. She said she wanted to come back and help when the title race was close. She also played as a substitute in the 2022 FAI Women's Cup Final. Shelbourne won 2–0, securing both the League and Cup titles, known as a Double.
Other Soccer Activities (Post-Retirement)
In 2023, O'Reilly returned to the North Carolina Courage team. She became a player-coach for their amateur team, the USL W League side. She joked that the team might need to change its name from "U23" to "U39." O'Reilly was on the roster for the NC Courage U23 again in 2024. She played as a substitute in their 3–0 playoff win.
O'Reilly signed a one-day contract with NJ/NY Gotham FC for a friendly game against Chelsea on August 19, 2024. However, she did not play in the game.
International Career (2002–2016)
In 2002, while still in high school, O'Reilly was chosen for the U.S. national team. She made her first appearance for the United States women's national soccer team on March 1, 2002, against Sweden.
2002 FIFA U-19 Women's World Cup
O'Reilly was a very important player for the USA's U-19 team in 2002. They won the World Cup that year. She scored four goals and helped set up seven others. This win was the first World Championship for this age group.
2004 Athens Olympics
After recovering from a broken fibula (a bone in her lower leg) from a match the year before, O'Reilly made the national team for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. At 19 years old, she was the youngest player on the team. On August 23, 2004, she scored the winning goal in the Olympic semi-final match against Germany. This sent the United States to the final, where they beat Brazil to win the gold medal.
2007 FIFA Women's World Cup
In the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup, O'Reilly scored a very important goal against North Korea. Her goal in the 69th minute tied the game at 2–2. This saved the Americans from a tough loss in their first game. The United States eventually won the bronze medal. O'Reilly scored a goal in their 4–1 win against Norway. She was also nominated for Sports Illustrated's 2007 Sportsman of the Year award.
2008 Beijing Olympics
O'Reilly played in the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic games. She scored the fastest goal in Olympic women's soccer history against New Zealand. This helped the team move on to the quarterfinals. She also scored a goal in the semi-final match against Japan. The team then beat strong favorites Brazil 1–0 to win another gold medal. Before the games, Time magazine listed her as one of the top 100 Olympic Athletes to Watch.
2011 FIFA Women's World Cup
O'Reilly was chosen for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. In the second game of the group stage, she scored the first of three goals for the USA against Colombia. This goal was later nominated for the FIFA Puskás Award in 2011, which is given for the most beautiful goal of the year.
2012 London Olympics
At the 2012 Olympics in London, she made a very important assist. In the 123rd minute of the semi-final match against Canada, she sent a cross from the right side. Alex Morgan then headed the ball into the goal. This play sent Team USA to the gold medal match against Japan.
2015 FIFA Women's World Cup
O'Reilly was selected for her third World Cup in 2015. She came into the quarter-final game against China as a substitute. She helped the U.S. win 1-0. O'Reilly became a World Cup Champion on July 5, when the United States defeated Japan 5–2 in the Women's World Cup final. After their World Cup win, O'Reilly joined the national team on a Victory Tour.
2016 Rio Olympics
There was some discussion when she was not chosen for the main team for the 2016 Rio Olympics. Coach Jill Ellis made her an alternate player, even though O'Reilly had played the most games (229) of anyone on the squad at that time. The U.S. national team had its worst Olympic finish, being knocked out by Sweden in the quarter-finals.
Retirement from International Play (2016)
On September 1, 2016, O'Reilly announced she would retire from the Women's National Team after 15 years. Her last game was on September 15, a friendly match against Thailand in Columbus, Ohio. The USWNT won that game 9–0.
Personal Life
Heather O'Reilly married Dave Werry, a former UNC lacrosse player, in 2011. They met while attending UNC. Their son, William, was born on June 18, 2020. Their second child, Jack, was born on November 26, 2021.
She is often called "HAO," which are the initials of her full name (Heather Ann O'Reilly). It is pronounced 'hey-oh'.
O'Reilly has endorsement deals with companies like Adidas. In 2013, she appeared in a commercial for Adidas' Adizero™ running shoe.
Career Statistics
International Goals
| Key (expand for notes on “international goals” and sorting) | |
|---|---|
| Location | Geographic location of the venue where the competition occurred Sorted by country name first, then by city name |
| Lineup | Start – played entire match on minute (off player) – substituted on at the minute indicated, and player was substituted off at the same time off minute (on player) – substituted off at the minute indicated, and player was substituted on at the same time |
| # | NumberOfGoals.goalNumber scored by the player in the match (alternate notation to Goal in match) |
| Min | The minute in the match the goal was scored. For list that include caps, blank indicates played in the match but did not score a goal. |
| Assist/pass | The ball was passed by the player, which assisted in scoring the goal. This column depends on the availability and source of this information. |
| penalty or pk | Goal scored on penalty-kick which was awarded due to foul by opponent. (Goals scored in penalty-shoot-out, at the end of a tied match after extra-time, are not included.) |
| Score | The match score after the goal was scored. Sorted by goal difference, then by goal scored by the player's team |
| Result | The final score. Sorted by goal difference in the match, then by goal difference in penalty-shoot-out if it is taken, followed by goal scored by the player's team in the match, then by goal scored in the penalty-shoot-out. For matches with identical final scores, match ending in extra-time without penalty-shoot-out is a tougher match, therefore precede matches that ended in regulation |
| aet | The score at the end of extra-time; the match was tied at the end of 90' regulation |
| pso | Penalty-shoot-out score shown in parenthesis; the match was tied at the end of extra-time |
| Light-purple background color – exhibition or closed door international friendly match | |
| Light-yellow background color – match at an invitational tournament | |
| Light-orange background color – Olympic women's football qualification match | |
| Light-blue background color – FIFA women's world cup qualification match | |
| Orange background color – Olympic women's football tournament | |
| Blue background color – FIFA women's world cup final tournament | |
|
NOTE: some keys may not apply for a particular football player |
|
Goal |
Date | Location | Opponent | Min | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2002-10-06 | Cary |  Italy |
69 |
2–0 |
4–0 |
Nike U.S. Cup |
| 2 | 2003-01-23 | Yiwu |  Norway |
87 |
3–1 |
3–1 |
Four Nations Tournament |
| 3 | 2003-06-15 | Salt Lake |  Ireland |
2 |
1–0 |
5–0 |
Friendly |
| 4 | 2004-08-23 | Heraklio |  Germany |
99 |
2–1 |
2–1 aet |
Olympics: semifinal |
| 5 | 2005-07-10 | Portland |  Ukraine |
89 |
7–0 |
7–0 |
Friendly |
| 6 | 2006-03-11 | Quarteira |  Denmark |
29 |
2–0 |
5–0 |
Algarve Cup: Group B |
| 7 | 31 |
3–0 |
|||||
| 8 | 2006-07-23 | San Diego | Ireland |
20 |
1–0 |
5–0 |
Friendly |
| 9 | 2007-01-28 | Guangzhou |  England |
17 |
1–0 |
1–1 |
Four Nations Tournament |
| 10 | 2007-05-12 | Frisco | .svg){kind=small} Canada |
73 |
6–2 |
6–2 |
Friendly |
| 11 | 2007-08-25 | Carson |  Finland |
76 |
4–0 |
4–0 |
Friendly |
| 12 | 2007-09-11 | Chengdu |  Korea DPR |
69 |
2–2 |
2–2 |
World Cup: Group B |
| 13 | 2007-09-30 | Shanghai | Norway |
59 |
4–1 |
4–1 |
World Cup: third place match |
| 14 | 2007-10-13 | St. Louis |  Mexico |
32 |
1–1 |
5–1 |
Friendly |
| 15 | 2007-10-20 | Albuquerque | Mexico |
62 |
1–1 |
1–1 |
Friendly |
| 16 | 2008-03-07 | Alvor | Italy |
74 |
2–0 |
2–0 |
Algarve Cup: Group B |
| 17 | 2008-03-10 | Alvor | Norway |
65 |
3–0 |
4–0 |
Algarve Cup: Group B |
| 18 | 2008-04-04 | Juarez |  Jamaica |
88 |
5–0 |
6–0 |
Olympic qualifier: Group A |
| 19 | 2008-04-09 | Juarez |  Costa Rica |
72 |
2–0 |
3–0 |
Olympic qualifier: semifinal |
| 20 | 2008-08-12 | Shenyang |  New Zealand |
1 |
1–0 |
4–0 |
Olympics: Group G |
| 21 | 2008-08-18 | Beijing |  Japan |
70 |
3–1 |
4–2 |
Olympics: semifinal |
| 22 | 2008-09-13 | Philadelphia | Ireland |
86 |
2–0 |
2–0 |
Friendly |
| 23 | 2008-11-01 | Richmond |  Korea R |
38 |
2–0 |
3–0 |
Friendly |
| 24 | 2008-11-08 | Tampa | Korea R |
72 |
1–0 |
1–0 |
Friendly |
| 25 | 2008-12-17 | Detroit |  China |
32 |
1–0 |
1–0 |
Friendly |
| 26 | 2010-05-22 | Cleveland | Germany |
35 |
2–0 |
4–0 |
Friendly |
| 27 | 2010-10-02 | Kennesaw | China |
37 |
2–1 |
2–1 |
Friendly |
| 28 | 2011-03-09 | Faro |  Iceland |
55 |
3–2 |
4–2 |
Algarve Cup: final |
| 29 | 2011-05-18 | Cary | Japan |
69 |
2–0 |
2–0 |
Friendly |
| 30 | 2011-07-02 | Sinsheim |  Colombia |
12 |
1–0 |
3–0 |
World Cup: Group C |
| 31 | 2012-01-20 | Vancouver |  Dominican |
17 |
4–0 |
14–0 |
Olympic qualifier: Group B |
| 32 | 31 |
7–0 |
|||||
| 33 | 64 |
14–0 |
|||||
| 34 | 2012-01-24 | Vancouver | Mexico |
8 |
1–0 |
4–0 |
Olympic qualifier: Group B |
| 35 | 2012-09-01 | Rochester | Costa Rica |
89 |
8–0 |
8–0 |
Friendly |
| 36 | 2012-09-19 | Commerce | .svg){kind=small} Australia |
25 |
1–0 |
6–2 |
Friendly |
| 37 | 2013-10-27 | San Francisco | New Zealand |
87 |
4–1 |
4–1 |
Friendly |
| 38 | 2013-02-08 | Boca Raton |  Russia |
32 |
2–0 |
7–0 |
Friendly |
| 39 | 2013-02-13 | Atlanta | Russia |
83 |
7–0 |
8–0 |
Friendly |
| 40 | 2014-03-12 | Parchal | Korea DPR |
88 |
3–0 |
3–0 |
Algarve: seventh place match |
| 41 | 2014-09-13 | Sandy | Mexico |
75 |
8–0 |
8–0 |
Friendly |
| 42 | 2015-08-16 | Pittsburgh | Costa Rica |
4 |
1–0 |
8–0 |
Friendly |
| 43 | 59 |
6–0 |
|||||
| 44 | 2015-08-19 | Chattanooga | Costa Rica |
13 |
2–0 |
7–2 |
Friendly |
| 45 | 23 |
5–0 |
|||||
| 46 | 2015-09-20 | Birmingham |  Haiti |
89 |
8–0 |
8–0 |
Friendly |
| 47 | 2016-09-15 | Columbus |  Thailand |
5 |
3–0 |
9–0 |
Friendly |
Awards and Achievements
North Carolina Tar Heels
- Women's College Cup: 2003, 2006
Sky Blue FC
- WPS Championship: 2009
FC Kansas City
- NWSL Champions: 2015
Arsenal
- FA WSL Cup: 2017–18
North Carolina Courage
- NWSL Champions: 2018, 2019
- NWSL Shield: 2018, 2019
Shelbourne FC
- WNL Champions: 2022
- FAI Women's Cup: 2022
United States U19
- FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship: 2002
United States National Team
- Olympic Gold Medal: 2004, 2008, 2012
- FIFA Women's World Cup: 2015
Individual Awards
- Honda Sports Award: 2006–07
- NWSL Second Best XI: 2014
- FIFA Puskás Award Nominee: 2011
- WPS All-Star Team: 2010
- MVP, WPS Championship Game: 2009
- WPS All-Star team selection: 2009, 2010
- Soccer America Player of the Year Award: 2006
- College Cup Offensive MVP: 2003, 2006
- ACC Offensive Player of the Year: 2005
- ESPN the Magazine All-Academic Player of the Year: 2006
- Gatorade National High School Girls' Soccer Player of the Year: 2002
- For their first match of March 2019, the women of the United States women's national soccer team each wore a jersey with the name of a woman they were honoring on the back; Kelley O'Hara chose the name of Heather O'Reilly.
See also
In Spanish: Heather O'Reilly para niños
- List of Olympic medalists in soccer
- List of soccer players with 100 or more caps
