Christen Press is still going strong at Angel City FC. With 12 games and 233 minutes under her belt this season, Press has already played more games than last season. While it seems like she is aging like fine wine on the soccer field, the forward’s journey to once again becoming a regular has not been easy. However, the two years she spent away from soccer with the knee injury also revealed a new horizon for Press.
As the co-founder of Re—inc., she and partner Tobin Heath started The RE—CAP Show in 2023. Since then, the podcast has only gone in one direction, and that’s up. Shortly after its debut, soccer fans got hooked on ‘Preath’ (a nickname fans gave to the longtime couple), pouring their hearts out on the podcast. Today, it’s almost become as important as her NWSL soccer career.
So when Power Play asked Christen Press about the hardest part of hosting the podcast, the soccer veteran revealed it was the most obvious part. “I think the hardest part is the least surprising thing, which is me balancing my schedule and going to practice,” Press said during her chat with Power Play. When Press returned to soccer, she felt unprepared to handle both.
“While I said we built this amazing, authentic space—which we have—it’s still very draining. You still give a lot to it,” added the 36-year-old forward. In fact, it’s something the two-time World Cup winner still hasn’t totally figured out yet. “I give a lot to Tobin, I give a lot to the audience, and I have to figure out how to recover and have boundaries,” Press told Power Play.
Credits: Instagram/ Christen Press
That’s because while the RE—CAP Show continues to be an enlightening experience for the couple, Christen Press isn’t ready to step away from soccer just yet. So the USWNT veteran believes that she still needs to strike the perfect balance for her “number one priority, which is football (soccer).” Yet, that doesn’t mean she’ll ignore the podcast. After all, it’s transformed how Heath and Press interact with their fans.
A window into Christen Press and Tobin Heath’s lives
Fans started shipping ‘Preath’ nearly a decade ago. However, the two women’s soccer icons kept the nature of their relationship under wraps. Despite dating one another, the USWNT stars didn’t publicly announce their relationship until last year. If that doesn’t give you an idea about how private they were, there’s here’s another example.
During her conversation with Power Play, the veteran athlete explained how she used to view public appearances. “It feels like you’ve lost a little piece of your soul, and then you have to go out and search and find it,” Christen Press said about snapping a photograph. Yes! That’s how private the Angel City FC forward was with her public image and especially their relationship.
RECORD DATE NOT STATED UNDER PRESSURE: THE U.S. WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TEAM, from left: Christen Press and Tobin Heath, Season 1, ep. 104, aired Dec. 12, 2023. photo: Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY
Yet, everything changed once their podcast picked up steam. What started as an irregular thing took on a much more structured approach as the duo got more comfortable. Soon, the couple began sharing and discussing things they never imagined. Press admitted that it was “the most surprising thing” about the YouTube podcast.
“It pushed Tobin and me to be vocal about our relationship and share different parts of ourselves with the community. I don’t think that would have ever happened or been possible without TRS,” Christen Press told Power Play. A perfect example was Tobin Heath’s emotional retirement announcement. It would be hard to imagine the couple sharing just an emotional moment on camera just a couple of years ago.
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