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We now know why Tobin Heath is not at national team camp in San Diego: U.S. Soccer just announced that Tobin had “minor ankle surgery” in Los Angeles this morning to remove bone growth from her right ankle.
She is projected to be sidelined for 8-12 weeks. That recovery schedule potentially takes through the end of March, which would cause her to miss the She Believes Cup in early March and leaves just half a month of wiggle room before the start of the NWSL season.
It’s unclear whether this surgery is necessary due to complications from the same injury sustained in the NWSL final, but as she has not appeared in a game since then, it’s hard to see where else she could have picked it up. Hopefully the surgery will resolve the issue and she can have an injury-free 2018 for club and country.