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Lindsey Heaps

American football player (born 1994) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lindsey Michelle Heaps (née Horan; /həˈræn/ hə-RAN; born May 26, 1994)[2] is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Denver Summit FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and captains the United States national team.

Full name Lindsey Michelle Heaps
Birth name Lindsey Michelle Horan[1]
Date of birth (1994-05-26) May 26, 1994 (age 32)
Place of birth Golden, Colorado, U.S.
Quick facts Personal information, Full name ...
Lindsey Heaps
Heaps with the United States in 2025
Personal information
Full name Lindsey Michelle Heaps
Birth name Lindsey Michelle Horan[1]
Date of birth (1994-05-26) May 26, 1994 (age 32)
Place of birth Golden, Colorado, U.S.
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Position Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Denver Summit
Number 10
Youth career
2005–2012 Colorado Rush
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012 Colorado Rush 3 (2)
2012–2016 Paris Saint-Germain 58 (46)
2016–2021 Portland Thorns 87 (25)
2022Lyon (loan) 5 (0)
2022–2026 Lyon 62 (29)
2026– Denver Summit 2 (0)
International career
United States U-17 17 (15)
United States U-20 24 (26)
2013– United States 178 (40)
Medal record
Women's soccer
Representing  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place2024 ParisTeam
Bronze medal – third place2020 TokyoTeam
FIFA Women's World Cup
Gold medal – first place2019 FranceTeam
CONCACAF W Championship
Winner2018 United States
Winner2022 Mexico
CONCACAF W Gold Cup
Winner2024 United States
CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship
Winner2014 Cayman Islands
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of June 28, 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of June 9, 2026
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Heaps began her career with Paris Saint-Germain in France at age 18 in 2012, emerging as a prolific scorer. In 2016, she joined the NWSL's Portland Thorns and helped lead the team to two NWSL Shields and the NWSL Championship in 2017, scoring the winning goal in the final. She was a four-time NWSL Best XI selection and was named the NWSL Most Valuable Player in 2018. After six years in Portland, she joined French powerhouse Lyon in 2022, initially on loan, and won the UEFA Women's Champions League in her debut season. After winning five league titles in five seasons at Lyon, she returned to the NWSL with hometown team Denver Summit in 2026.

Heaps made her senior debut for the United States and was named the U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year in 2013. She was part of the team that won the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, won bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and captained the team to win gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She was named the U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year in 2021.

Early life

Heaps was born May 26, 1994, and grew up in Golden, Colorado, near Denver. Although she attended Golden High School, she did not play soccer for the school. Instead, she played club soccer with the Colorado Rush. She first started playing for the Colorado Edge during the U-11 tryouts. In March, when Heaps was 15 years old and was one of the youngest players on the United States under-17 women's national team, she scored 12 goals in nine games (a team-best) leading up to the North American/Central American/Caribbean U-17 tournament in Costa Rica. During her sophomore year at Golden, she was named to the Parade Magazine High School All-American team although she didn't play high school soccer.[3][4]

In 2012, Heaps was named the top-ranked college prospect by ESPN.[5] Although she had a scholarship to play for Tar Heels of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill starting in the 2012 season, Heaps bypassed her college career and signed with French club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).[6]

Club career

Colorado Rush

Heaps played for the Colorado Rush in the 2012 USL W-League season.[7] She played three games for the team, scoring two goals and taking 19 shots.[8] Her performance for the Rush against Seattle Sounders Women on June 1, 2012, in which Heaps scored a goal against Seattle and USWNT goalkeeper Hope Solo,[9] impressed several national team players who also played for Seattle. After the match, Megan Rapinoe called Heaps "a hell of a player".[10]

Paris Saint-Germain

Heaps with PSG in 2013

In July 2012, 18-year-old Heaps signed a six-figure deal with the professional French club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), giving up her college eligibility.[11][12] On September 23, she made her professional debut for the club, scoring in a 5–0 win over Saint-Étienne.[13] On January 30, 2013, she scored her first professional hat trick as PSG routed second-tier Montigny in their Coupe de France Féminine opener.[13] She finished her debut season with 20 goals, including 17 in the league, leading PSG in scoring alongside Kosovare Asllani, as the club placed second in the league behind Lyon.[14]

The following season, Heaps made her UEFA Women's Champions League debut on October 9, 2013, in the round of 32 first leg against Swedish club Tyresö, but PSG lost 2–1 thanks to two goals by Christen Press.[15] On May 10, 2014, she scored a goal in a 6–0 Paris derby win in the Coupe de France semifinals, helping send PSG to the final where they lost to Lyon.[16] She finished the season as PSG's second-leading scorer behind Marie-Laure Delie with 16 goals, including 14 in the league.[16]

On October 15, 2014, Heaps scored her first Champions League goal in a 1–0 win over Dutch club Twente in the round of 32 second leg.[17] The next month, she helped PSG oust rivals Lyon from the Champions League round of 16.[17] She then underwent surgery early the next year[18] and missed the rest of the season as PSG reached the Champions League final. She had scored 10 goals through half a season.[17]

On January 4, 2016, PSG announced Heaps's contract had been terminated to allow her to return to the United States.[19] She played her final game on December 5, 2015, a 5–0 win over Juvisy, scoring the opening goal.[20] Heaps scored 46 goals in 58 appearances for PSG.[citation needed]

Portland Thorns

Heaps with the Thorns in 2016

On January 13, 2016, Heaps signed with Portland Thorns FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).[21] Unlike her role at PSG, Heaps played for Portland in central midfield in a position similar to her national team role.[22] She made her NWSL debut on April 17, scoring the 2–1 winner in Portland's season opener against the Orlando Pride.[23] On September 25, she scored in the 3–1 regular-season finale win over Sky Blue as the Thorns clinched the NWSL Shield with the best record in the league.[24] The following week, she made her playoff debut and scored in extra time in a 4–3 defeat to eventual champions Western New York Flash.[25] She finished the season with 6 goals in 16 appearances in all competitions.[23]

The following season, Heaps started all 26 games and scored 5 goals for the Thorns as she won her first NWSL championship.[26] On June 3, 2017, she scored twice in a 2–0 win over Sky Blue FC, earning NWSL Player of the Week.[27] In the playoffs, after placing second in the table, she recorded an assist to Hayley Raso in the 4–1 semifinal win over the Orlando Pride.[28] She then scored the only goal in Portland's 1–0 win over the North Carolina Courage in the final and was named NWSL Championship MVP.[29] She was also named to the NWSL Second XI at the end of the season.[30]

Heaps with the Thorns in 2018

In 2018, Heaps started 24 games and led the Thorns with 14 goals, ranking third on the regular-season scoring chart with 13.[31] She was named NWSL Player of the Month for July 2018 after she scoring three goals to help the Thorns to a 3–0–0 record.[32] On September 7, she scored twice in a 3–1 comeback win over rivals Seattle Reign on the last day of the season, clinching a home playoff game and winning NWSL Player of the Week.[33] In the playoffs, she recorded a goal and an assist in a 2–1 semifinal win over the Reign, helping send the Thorns back into the final, which they lost 3–0 to the North Carolina Courage.[34] Following the season, she was named to the NWSL Best XI and was named the NWSL Most Valuable Player.[35]

In 2019, Heaps was named to the NWSL Best XI for the second consecutive year despite missing much of the season while at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.[36] She played in 14 games and scored 1 goal as the Thorns placed third in the league, losing 1–0 to the Chicago Red Stars in the playoff semifinals.[37] In 2020, she was a key player in helping the Thorns win the NWSL Fall Series and the associated Community Shield, though the COVID-19 pandemic limited her to 8 games and 2 goals.[38]

On April 21, 2021, Heaps made her first appearance of the season and scored from a free kick in a 2–0 win over the Seattle Reign in the NWSL Challenge Cup group stage.[39] Two weeks later, she won the Challenge Cup final against NJ/NY Gotham FC, converting in the 6–5 penalty shootout after a 1–1 draw.[40] She finished the season with 3 goals in 17 appearances in all competitions as the Thorns won the NWSL Shield for the second time.[41] She missed Portland's playoff semifinal due to an eye injury, where the Thorns lost 2–0 to the Chicago Red Stars.[42] She was named to the NWSL Second XI at the end of the season, receiving her fourth NWSL Best XI selection.[43]

Lyon

On January 27, 2022, Heaps returned to France on loan with continental powerhouse Olympique Lyonnais.[44] On February 6, she made her debut for Lyon in a 1–0 win over Bordeaux.[45] On May 21, she played the full match in the Champions League final as Lyon won 3–1 against defending champions Barcelona, securing the club's eighth European title.[46] Heaps and teammate Catarina Macario became the fourth and fifth Americans to win the UEFA Women's Champions League.[46] She made 10 appearances in her debut season as Lyon won their record-extending 15th league title.[45]

On September 18, 2022, Heaps scored her first goal for Lyon in a 2–1 victory over Soyaux.[47] On October 27, she scored her first Champions League goal for the club as they drew 1–1 with Juventus in the group stage.[47] On March 17, 2023, she opened the scoring against Fleury in a 2–0 win in the Coupe de France Féminine semifinals, helping send Lyon to the final (which they won 2–1 over Paris Saint-Germain).[47] Later that month, she assisted Vanessa Gilles to level the Champions League quarterfinal tie against Chelsea, which ended 2–2 on aggregate. However, the defending champions were eliminated on penalties after Heaps took the final shot and had it saved.[48] She made 27 appearances and scored 8 goals during the season as Lyon defended the league title.[47] She was named to the UNFP Team of the Season after the season.[49]

Heaps with Lyon in 2026

On June 22, 2023, the Thorns permanently transferred Heaps to Lyon[50] for a fee of €250,000 (US$274,000) with a conditional bonus of an additional €50,000 (US$54,750).[51] On October 14, she scored her first hat trick for Lyon in a 6–0 league victory over Saint-Étienne.[52] On March 27, 2024, she provided two assists in a 4–1 win over Benfica in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals.[53] On May 12, she provided two assists against Reims in the new league playoff semifinals, before winning her third consecutive league title after beating PSG in the final.[53] Lyon also reached the Champions League final but lost 2–0 to Barcelona.[53] She finished the season with 7 goals in 27 appearances in all competitions and was named in the UNFP and FFF D1 Arkema Teams of the Season, also earning a nomination for their Player of the Year awards.[54]

On November 16, 2024, Heaps scored her second hat trick for Lyon in the first 35 minutes, also against Saint-Étienne.[55] Lyon reached the Champions League semifinals but were eliminated by eventual champions Arsenal.[56] On May 11, 2025, she scored in the league playoff semifinals against Dijon as Lyon went on to their fourth consecutive league title.[56] She ended the season with 13 goals in 28 appearances in all competitions, also leading the league with 8 assists,[57] and was named in the UNFP and LFFP Teams of the Season.[58]

Heaps made 35 appearances and scored 6 goals in her final season with Lyon.[59] On May 10, 2026, she scored the last goal in the Coupe de France final against PSG, securing her tenth title with Lyon in all competitions after a 4–1 win.[60] The next week, she scored against Nantes in the league playoff semifinals.[59] On May 23, she played in her third Champions League final but lost 4–0 to Barcelona.[59] On May 29, she played her final match for Lyon as they won 5–0 against Paris FC in the league final, securing a fifth consecutive championship.[59]

Denver Summit

On January 12, 2026, NWSL expansion team Denver Summit FC announced the signing of Heaps on a three-and-a-half-year contract, the player returning to her home state after the end of her Lyon season.[61]

International career

Heaps (right) with the national team in 2017

Heaps played for the United States women's national under-17 soccer team and was the leading scorer for the team at the 2010 CONCACAF Women's U-17 Championship.[62][63][64] She helped the United States women's national under-20 soccer team win the 2012 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship in March by scoring four goals, including a hat trick against Guatemala in the group stage. Heaps was unable to play in the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup because of a knee injury that required surgery.[12]

In February 2013, at the age of eighteen, she was named to the senior team roster for the 2013 Algarve Cup.[65] She earned her first cap for the senior team during a group stage match against China at the Algarve on March 8, 2013.[66] Heaps was called up to the senior roster near the end of 2015,[67] and scored her first goal for the senior team during a 'Woman of the Match' performance against Trinidad & Tobago in December 2015.[68] She was on the roster for the 2016 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Championship and started the opening group stage match against Costa Rica in central midfield.[69] While Heaps played successfully as a striker during her time at PSG (2012–16), with 46 goals in 56 appearances, she played in central midfield after her return to the national team in 2016.[citation needed]

Heaps was called up for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, scoring her first World Cup goal in the opening game against Thailand on June 11. On January 31, 2020, she scored her first career hat-trick, against Panama in the 2020 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Championship, in addition to assisting goals scored by Lynn Williams and Tobin Heath.[m 1]

On July 24, 2021, Heaps played her 100th match for the USWNT, and scored a goal in a 6–1 win over New Zealand in the 2020 Summer Olympics.[70]

At the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, Heaps scored in the U.S.'s opening match against Vietnam.[71] This gave her goals in successive World Cups. Heaps also scored in the U.S.'s match against the Netherlands, tying the game 1–1.[72]

Heaps was selected to the 18-player roster for the 2024 Summer Olympics in France.[73] She started and captained the team in all six USWNT matches, including the final, in which the team defeated Brazil 1–0 to win the gold medal.[74][75]

Personal life

Heaps married soccer analyst Tyler Heaps on December 28, 2024. They met when he was working for U.S. Soccer; he is now the sporting director and general manager for San Diego FC of Major League Soccer.[76] Heaps began using her married name in 2025 for international matches; however, she continued to use her maiden name with Lyon through the remainder of the 2024–25 campaign since the Première Ligue does not allow name changes mid-season.[77][78] Heaps started using her married name ahead of the 2025–26 season.[79]

Career statistics

Club

More information Club, Season ...
Club Season League Cup[a] Continental[b] Total
Division Regular Season Play-offs
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Colorado Rush 2012[8] USL W-League 3232
Total3232
Paris Saint-Germain 2012–13[80] Division 1 Féminine 2017532520
2013–14[80] 181432202316
2014–15[80] 11900411510
2015–16[80] 960042138
Total5846851037654
Portland Thorns FC 2016[81] NWSL 15511166
2017[82] 24421265
2018[83] 2213212414
2019[84] 13110141
2020 [c]8282
2021 132003110173
Total8725631131010531
Lyon (loan) 2021–22 Première Ligue 500050100
Lyon 2022–23145104182278
2023–24156102190277
2024–25171400101022816
2025–2616482110357
Total67292015443412337
Denver Summit FC 2026 NWSL 0000
Career total215102833412547311124
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Notes

International

As of match played June 9, 2026
More information National team, Year ...
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
United States 201320
201400
201541
2016242
2017131
2018193
2019165
202087
2021226
2022141
2023175
2024225
202592
202682
Total17840
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International goals

Scores and results list the United States' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Heaps goal.
More information No., Date ...
List of international goals scored by Lindsey Heaps
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 December 10, 2015 San Antonio, Texas  Trinidad and Tobago 6–0 6–0 Friendly [m 2]
2 February 21, 2016 Houston, Texas  Canada 1–0 2–0 Olympic qualifier: Final [m 3]
3 June 2, 2016 Commerce City, Colorado  Japan 3–2 3–3 Friendly [m 4]
4 September 19, 2017 Cincinnati, Ohio  New Zealand 1–0 5–0 Friendly [m 5]
5 April 8, 2018 Houston, Texas  Mexico 2–2 6–2 Friendly [m 6]
6 July 29, 2018 East Hartford, Connecticut  Australia 1–1 1–1 2018 Tournament of Nations [m 7]
7 October 10, 2018 Cary, North Carolina  Trinidad and Tobago 5–0 7–0 World Cup qualifier: Group A [m 8]
8 April 7, 2019 Los Angeles, California  Belgium 3–0 6–0 Friendly [m 9]
9 June 11, 2019 Reims, France  Thailand 3–0 13–0 World Cup: Group F [m 10]
10 June 20, 2019 Le Havre, France  Sweden 1–0 2–0 World Cup: Group F [m 11]
11 August 3, 2019 Pasadena, California  Republic of Ireland 2–0 3–0 Friendly [m 12]
12 September 3, 2019 St. Paul, Minnesota  Portugal 3–0 3–0 Friendly [m 13]
13 January 28, 2020 Houston, Texas  Haiti 3–0 4–0 Olympic qualifier: Group A [m 14]
14 January 31, 2020 Houston, Texas  Panama 1–0 8–0 Olympic qualifier: Group A [m 1]
15 3–0
16 8–0
17 February 4, 2020 Houston, Texas  Costa Rica 2–0 6–0 Olympic qualifier: Group A [m 15]
18 February 9, 2020 Carson, California  Canada 2–0 3–0 Olympic qualifier: Final [m 16]
19 March 11, 2020 Frisco, Texas  Japan 3–1 3–1 2020 SheBelieves Cup: Final [m 17]
20 January 22, 2021 Orlando, Florida  Colombia 5–0 6–0 Friendly [m 18]
21 June 13, 2021 Houston, Texas  Jamaica 2–0 4–0 Friendly [m 19]
22 July 5, 2021 East Hartford, Connecticut  Mexico 1–0 4–0 Friendly [m 20]
23 July 24, 2021 Saitama, Japan  New Zealand 2–0 6–1 Olympics: Group G [m 21]
24 October 26, 2021 Saint Paul, Minnesota  South Korea 1–0 6–0 Friendly [m 22]
25 November 27, 2021 Sydney, Australia  Australia 3–0 3–0 Friendly [m 23]
26 September 3, 2022 Kansas City, Kansas  Nigeria 2–0 4–0 Friendly [m 24]
27 April 8, 2023 Austin, Texas  Republic of Ireland 2–0 2–0 Friendly [m 25]
28 July 22, 2023 Auckland, New Zealand  Vietnam 3–0 3–0 World Cup: Group E [m 26]
29 July 27, 2023 Wellington, New Zealand  Netherlands 1–1 1–1 World Cup: Group E [m 27]
30 October 29, 2023 San Diego, California  Colombia 2–0 3–0 Friendly [m 28]
31 December 2, 2023 Fort Lauderdale, Florida  China 2–0 3–0 Friendly [m 29]
32 February 23, 2024 Carson, California  Argentina 4–0 4–0 CONCACAF W Gold Cup [m 30]
33 March 3, 2024 Los Angeles, California  Colombia 1–0 3–0 CONCACAF W Gold Cup [m 31]
34 March 10, 2024 San Diego, California  Brazil 1–0 1–0 CONCACAF W Gold Cup [m 32]
35 April 6, 2024 Atlanta, Georgia  Japan 2–1 2–1 2024 SheBelieves Cup [m 33]
36 October 27, 2024 Nashville, Tennessee  Iceland 2–1 3–1 Friendly [m 34]
37 April 5, 2025 Inglewood, California  Brazil 2–0 2–0 Friendly [m 35]
38 May 31, 2025 Saint Paul, Minnesota  China 3–0 3–0 Friendly [m 36]
39 March 4, 2026 Nashville, Tennessee  Argentina 1–0 2–0 2026 SheBelieves Cup [m 37]
40 April 11, 2026 San Jose, California  Japan 2–0 2–1 Friendly [m 38]
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Honors

Portland Thorns FC

OL Lyonnes

United States U20

United States

Individual

See also

References

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