Heather O'Reilly facts for kids

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Heather O'Reilly

Heather O'Reilly with her 2012 Olympics gold medal

Personal information

Full name

Heather Ann O'Reilly

Date of birth

January 2, 1985 (age 40)

Place of birth

East Brunswick, New Jersey, United States

Height

5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)

Playing position

Midfielder/winger

Club information

Current club

North Carolina Courage U23

Number

Senior career*

Years

Team

Apps^†

(Gls)^†

2004–2005

New Jersey Wildcats

(8)

2009–2011

Sky Blue FC

(4)

2012–2014

Boston Breakers

(14)

2015–2016

FC Kansas City

(3)

2017–2018

Arsenal

(3)

2018–2019

North Carolina Courage

(1)

2022

Shelbourne

(0)

2023–

North Carolina Courage U23

National team

United States U-19

United States U-21

2002–2016

United States

231

(47)

Honours


Olympic Games
Gold	2004 Athens	Team
Gold	2008 Beijing	Team
Gold	2012 London	Team
FIFA Women's World Cup
Gold	2015 Canada	Team
Silver	2011 Germany	Team
Bronze	2007 China	Team

Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

† Appearances (Goals).

Heather Ann O'Reilly (born January 2, 1985) is an American professional soccer player. She plays as a midfielder, which means she helps both defend and attack on the field. Heather is famous for playing with 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.

Heather played college soccer for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 2003 to 2006. During her career, she also played for many professional clubs. These include 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 2016, Heather was one of the world's most experienced soccer players. She had played in over 230 international games. She is known for her great passes and is tied for fifth in USWNT history for assists. She is also the eighth most-capped player for the USWNT. In 2019, she played her last game for the North Carolina Courage, winning the NWSL championship.

Heather O'Reilly is now a soccer analyst for Fox Sports. In 2022, she decided to play again for a short time with Shelbourne in Ireland. This allowed her to play in the UEFA Women's Champions League, a big European club competition. She even scored a winning goal in her first game back!

Early Life and High School Soccer

Heather O'Reilly grew up in East Brunswick, New Jersey. She was the youngest of four children. She went to East Brunswick High School and played on the girls' soccer team. In her four years, she scored an amazing 143 goals! In 2001, she helped her team win the New Jersey state high school title.

During high school, Heather was also a member of the National Honor Society. She played on the school's basketball team too. In her senior year, she was named an All-American and National Player of the Year by Parade Magazine. She also won the Gatorade High School National Player of the Year award in 2002. Soccer America magazine called her the top college recruit in the country.

Playing for the North Carolina Tar Heels, 2003–2006

O'Reilly as a Tar Heel player

Heather 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, scoring 59 goals and making 49 assists. She led her team to 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, which is given to the nation's best soccer player. In 2008, the University of North Carolina retired her No. 20 jersey. This is a huge honor, and she joined other legendary players like Mia Hamm.

Club Soccer Career

New Jersey Wildcats, 2004–2005

Heather played for the New Jersey Wildcats in the W-League from 2004 to 2005. She helped her team win the league championship in 2005.

Sky Blue FC, 2009–2011

O'Reilly playing for Sky Blue FC, 2010

In 2008, Heather joined Sky Blue FC in the Women's Professional Soccer league. She was a co-captain and played in 17 games during the 2009 season. She helped Sky Blue FC reach the playoffs. In the championship game against Los Angeles, she scored the only goal, leading her team to win the title!

Boston Breakers, 2012–2014

After the WPS league stopped, Heather played two games with the Boston Breakers in 2012. In 2013, she officially joined the Breakers in the new National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).

FC Kansas City, 2015–2016

In 2014, Heather was traded to FC Kansas City. She played for them for two seasons.

Arsenal, 2017–2018

In 2017, Heather signed with Arsenal, a top women's professional soccer club in England. She played 38 games and scored four goals for Arsenal. She left the club in the summer of 2018.

North Carolina Courage, 2018–2019

Heather joined the North Carolina Courage in 2018. She played in 8 regular season games and both playoff games. The Courage won both the NWSL Shield (for having the best regular season record) and the NWSL Championship.

The North Carolina Courage also won the 2018 Women's International Champions Cup. Heather scored a goal in the final game, helping her team beat Olympique Lyonnais 1–0. In April 2019, Heather announced that she would retire from professional soccer after the 2019 NWSL Season.

Shelbourne, 2022

On July 28, 2022, Heather announced she would come out of retirement to play for Shelbourne, an Irish team. This allowed her to play in the UEFA Women's Champions League (UWCL). She scored the winning goal in her first UWCL game against Pomurje. Heather enjoyed her time with Shelbourne and helped them win the Irish League title and the 2022 FAI Women's Cup.

Post-Retirement Roles

In 2023, Heather returned to the North Carolina Courage. She became a player-coach for their amateur team, the North Carolina Courage U23. She even joked that the team should change its name to "North Carolina Courage U39"! She continued this role in 2024, playing as a substitute in a playoff game.

International Soccer Career (2002–2016)

Heather O'Reilly was first called up to the U.S. national team in 2002, while she was still in high school. 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

Heather was a very important player for the USA's U-19 team in 2002. She scored four goals and helped set up seven others. Her efforts helped the USA youth team win their first-ever World Championship at this level.

2004 Athens Olympics Gold Medal

After recovering from an injury, Heather made the national team for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. At 19 years old, she was the youngest player on the team. In the semi-final game against Germany, she scored the winning goal in overtime. This sent the United States to the final, where they beat Brazil to win the gold medal!

2007 FIFA Women's World Cup Bronze Medal

In the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup, Heather scored a key goal against North Korea. This goal tied the game and saved the Americans from losing their first match. The United States went on to win the bronze medal, with Heather scoring a goal in their 4–1 win against Norway.

2008 Beijing Olympics Gold Medal

Heather competed in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. She scored the fastest goal in Olympic women's soccer history against New Zealand. She also scored a goal in the semi-final against Japan. The team then defeated Brazil 1–0 to win another gold medal!

2011 FIFA Women's World Cup Silver Medal

Heather was chosen for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. In the second game of the group stage, she scored the first goal for the USA against Colombia. This goal was even nominated for the FIFA Puskás Award in 2011, which is given for the most beautiful goal of the year.

2012 London Olympics Gold Medal

Playing for the U.S. national team in San Jose, Calif., 2015

At the 2012 Olympics in London, Heather made a very important assist in the semi-final match against Canada. She sent a perfect cross to Alex Morgan, who headed the ball into the goal. This helped Team USA reach the gold medal match against Japan, which they won!

2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Champion

Heather was selected for her third World Cup in 2015. She came into the quarter-final game against China as a substitute, helping the U.S. win 1-0. On July 5, Heather became a World Cup Champion when the United States defeated Japan 5–2 in the final! After their win, Heather joined the national team on a special Victory Tour.

2016 Rio Olympics and Retirement

For the 2016 Rio Olympics, Heather was named an alternate player. This meant she was available if another player couldn't play. The U.S. national team had its worst Olympic finish, losing to Sweden in the quarter-finals.

On September 1, 2016, Heather announced she would retire from the Women's National Team after 15 years. Her final game was on September 15, a friendly match against Thailand, where the USWNT scored 9 goals.

Personal Life

Heather O'Reilly married Dave Werry in 2011. They met when they were both students at the University of North Carolina. Their son, William, was born in 2020, and their second son, Jack, was born in 2021.

Heather is often called "HAO," which are the initials of her full name (Heather Ann O'Reilly). It's pronounced 'hey-oh'. She also has endorsement deals with Adidas and appeared in a commercial for their running shoes in 2013.

Honors and Awards

Heather O'Reilly has won many awards and championships throughout her career:

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 (Nation's top soccer player)
NWSL Second Best XI: 2014
FIFA Puskás Award Nominee: 2011
WPS All-Star Team: 2010
MVP, WPS Championship Game: 2009
Soccer America Player of the Year Award: 2006
College Cup Offensive MVP: 2003, 2006
ACC Offensive Player of the Year: 2005
Gatorade National High School Girls' Soccer Player of the Year: 2002
In March 2019, Kelley O'Hara, another U.S. national team player, wore a jersey with Heather O'Reilly's name on the back to honor her.

Images for kids

Heather O'Reilly with her 2012 Olympics gold medal
O'Reilly as a Tar Heel player
O'Reilly playing for Sky Blue FC, 2010
Playing for the U.S. national team in San Jose, Calif., 2015