October 16, 2009 HAPPY TO BE HOME Mitts looks forward to playing for the Independence
By Charles Cuttone Executive Editor
Heather Mitts is looking forward to playing for the Independence Linda Cuttone/Sports Vue Images
Heather Mitts is happy to be returning to Philadelphia. Although in a way she never left.
Mitts, who was signed by the Philadelphia Independence on Tuesday, is looking forward to playing in the city where she started her pro club career, with the Charge of the Women’s United Soccer Association in 2001.
“I’m really excited to be playing in Philadelphia again,” said Mitts who spent the first season of Women’s Professional Soccer playing with the Boston Breakers.
Mitts has maintained a connection to Philadelphia even after the Charge and the WUSA folded. She is engaged to former Eagles quarterback A.J. Feeley. “We spend the majority of our time in Philaddelphia,” she said. “Even with the fact that A.J. wasn’t there, I would go back.”
Mitts is currently in Charlotte, where Feeley plays for the Carolina Panthers. “You get used to living out of a suitcase,” she said of playing with the National Team. “We’ve been doing it for so long, it’s not a big deal.”
Still, being able to put down some roots is another benefit to playing in the league according to Mitts. “I Like being a part of a city, playing for the home town fans.”
Mitts knew Philadelphia was in line to get an expansion franchise even before the WPS kicked off, and she expressed her desire to return, even before she signed a one year deal with the Breakers. Even with that, however, it was not a foregone conclusion that she would join the Independence once she became a free agent.
“I was kind of waiting to see how they were going to do in the international draft,” she said. “They should be five of your starters.”
Mitts obviously thinks Coach Paul Riley and General Manger Terry Foley did well with the picks. “They can step in and be starters,” she said. “I know all of them. I’ve played against all of them.”
In fact, Mitts said she will be right at home in Philadelphia in more ways than one. “I’m familiar with all of the players on the team,” she said.
Mitts will be joined by another former Boston Breaker, Amy Rodriguez, who was acquired in a trade. Seven other players were picked in the WPS expansion draft.
Mitts spent three seasons with the Charge, 2001-2003. Since then she has become a mainstay on the U.S. Women’s National Team. Earlier this year she earned her 100th cap, the 25th player in U.S. Women’s team history to do so. Mitts has been on a pair of Olympic Gold Medal winning teams, in Athens in 2004 and in Beijing last year, where she started all six of the U.S. team’s matches.
She has missed out on two chances to play for the U.S. in the Women’s World Cup due to injuries.
During her tenure with the Charge, she started fifty one games as the team made the playoffs in its first two years.
The past season, with the Boston Breakers, she started every game. She joined the Breakers as a national team allocation and became a free agent on September 29.
After playing three years in the old league, and seeing it go under because of huge financial losses, Mitts is happy with the new league and it’s structure.
“It was exciting to have it back,” she said. “They really did their homework this time.” Mitts was impressed with the level of support teams got in the league, especially in Boston, where the Breakers averaged 4,665 fans per game, third best in the league, but only a few hundred short of second place Chicago.
With all of the U.S. National team pool playing in the league, as well as major international stars like three time FIFA Player of the Year, Marta was impressed with the level of play in the WPS.
“I thought actually the level of play was higher than the old league,” she said.
Mitts will be joining the U.S. National Team for a game in Germany later this month, then finish out the rest of the National Football League season in Charlotte, before returning to her adopted home town.
Though she is looking forward to being back in Philadelphia, being in North Carolina right now does have its benefits, including the weather. “It’s beautiful here today,” she said. “I can go out for a run.”
