Lindsey Heaps
Lindsey Michelle Heaps is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Première Ligue club OL Lyonnes and captains the United States national team. She will join Denver Summit FC of the National Women's Soccer League in June 2026.
Heaps began her career with France's Paris Saint-Germain at age 18 in 2012, emerging as a prolific scorer. In 2016, she joined the NWSL's Portland Thorns, winning NWSL Most Valuable Player in 2018. She was a leading player for the Thorns during their 2017 championship season, scoring the winning goal in the championship game. After six years in Portland, she joined French powerhouse Lyon, winning the UEFA Women's Champions League in 2022.
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 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.In 2012, Heaps was named the top-ranked college prospect by ESPN. 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 FC.
Club career
Colorado Rush, 2012
Heaps played for the Colorado Rush in the 2012 USL W-League season. She played three games for the team, scoring two goals and taking 19 shots. 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, impressed several national team players who also played for Seattle. After the match, Megan Rapinoe called Heaps "a hell of a player".Paris Saint-Germain FC, 2012–2016
In July 2012, Heaps signed a six-figure deal to play with the professional French club, Paris Saint-Germain FC. On January 4, 2016, Paris Saint-Germain announced Heaps's contract had been terminated to allow her to return to the United States. She played her final game on December 5, 2015, a 5–0 win over FCF Juvisy. Heaps scored the match's opening goal. Heaps scored 46 goals in 58 appearances for PSG.Portland Thorns, 2016–2022
On January 13, 2016, Heaps signed with the Portland Thorns FC of the NWSL.Unlike her role at PSG, Heaps for Portland played in central midfield in a position similar to her national-team role.
Heaps scored the only goal in Portland's 1–0 win over the North Carolina Courage in the 2017 NWSL Championship and was named NWSL Championship MVP.
Heaps was named Player of the Month for July 2018, in which she scored three goals to help the Thorns to a 3–0–0 record. She was named to the 2018 NWSL Best XI, and on September 21, 2018, she was named the 2018 NWSL Most Valuable Player.
In 2020, she was a key player in helping Thorns win the Fall Series and the associated Community Shield, and in 2021, did the same for the Thorns' winning the NWSL Challenge Cup, the Women's International Champions Cup, and the NWSL Shield.
On June 22, 2023, the Thorns permanently transferred Heaps to Lyon for a fee of €250,000 with a conditional bonus of an additional €50,000.
Lyon Féminin, 2022–present
On January 27, 2022, Heaps joined Olympique Lyon on loan. With Lyon, she scored 8 goals in 37 appearances, won the Division 1 Féminine league twice, the Coupe de France Feminine, and the UEFA Women's Champions League. On June 22, 2023, Lyon signed Heaps to a permanent contract through June 2026. On October 14, 2023, Heaps scored her first hat-trick for Lyon against Division 1 team AS Saint-Étienne. She scored her second hat-trick for Lyon, also against AS Saint-Étienne, on November 16, 2024 in the first 35 minutes.Denver Summit, 2026–present
On January 12, 2026, NWSL expansion team Denver Summit FC announced that they had signed Heaps and that she would join the team after her Lyon season ended in June.International career
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. 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.In February 2013, at the age of eighteen, she was named to the senior team roster for the 2013 Algarve Cup. She earned her first cap for the senior team during a group stage match against China at the Algarve on March 8, 2013. Heaps was called up to the senior roster near the end of 2015, and scored her first goal for the senior team during a 'Woman of the Match' performance against Trinidad & Tobago in December 2015. 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. While Heaps played successfully as a striker during her time at PSG, with 46 goals in 56 appearances, she played in central midfield after her return to the national team in 2016.
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.
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.
At the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, Heaps scored in the U.S.'s opening match against Vietnam. 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.
Heaps was selected to the 18-player roster for the 2024 Summer Olympics in France. 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.
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. 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. Heaps started using her married name ahead of the 2025-26 season.Career statistics
Club
'''Notes'''International
International goals
Goals | Date | Location | Opponent | Lineup | Min | Assist/pass | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | 2015-12-10 | San Antonio, Texas | Start | 90+2' | Stephanie McCaffrey | Friendly | |||
| 2 | 2016-02-21 | Houston, Texas | 53' | Becky Sauerbrunn | Olympic qualifier: Final | ||||
| 3 | 2016-06-02 | Commerce City, Colorado | 89' | Kelley O'Hara | Friendly | ||||
| 4 | 2017-09-19 | Cincinnati, Ohio | 36' | Sam Mewis | Friendly | ||||
| 5 | 2018-04-08 | Houston, Texas | 25' | Megan Rapinoe | Friendly | ||||
| 6 | 2018-07-29 | East Hartford, Connecticut | Start | 90' | Megan Rapinoe | 2018 Tournament of Nations | |||
| 7 | 2018-10-10 | Cary, North Carolina | Start | 49' | unassisted | World Cup qualifier: Group A | |||
| 8 | 2019-04-07 | Los Angeles, California | 26' | Christen Press | Friendly | ||||
| 9 | 2019-06-11 | Reims, France | Start | 32' | Sam Mewis | World Cup: Group F | |||
| 10 | 2019-06-20 | Le Havre, France | Start | 3' | Sam Mewis | World Cup: Group F | |||
| 11 | 2019-08-03 | Pasadena, California | Start | 31' | Christen Press | Friendly | |||
| 12 | 2019-09-03 | St. Paul, Minnesota | 83' | Christen Press | Friendly | ||||
| 13 | 2020-01-28 | Houston, Texas | 73' | Megan Rapinoe | Olympic qualifier: Group A | ||||
| 14 | 2020-01-31 | Houston, Texas | Start | 3' | unassisted | Olympic qualifier: Group A | |||
| 15 | 2020-01-31 | Houston, Texas | Start | 18' | unassisted | Olympic qualifier: Group A | |||
| 16 | 2020-01-31 | Houston, Texas | Start | 81' | Jessica McDonald | Olympic qualifier: Group A | |||
| 17 | 2020-02-04 | Houston, Texas | Start | 10' | Carli Lloyd | Olympic qualifier: Group A | |||
| 18 | 2020-02-09 | Carson, California | Start | 71' | Lynn Williams | Olympic qualifier: Final | |||
| 19 | 2020-03-11 | Frisco, Texas | Start | 83' | Mallory Pugh | 2020 SheBelieves Cup: Final | |||
| 20 | 2021-01-22 | Orlando, Florida | 73' | Crystal Dunn | Friendly | ||||
| 21 | 2021-06-13 | Houston, Texas | 7' | penalty | Friendly | ||||
| 22 | 2021-07-05 | East Hartford, Connecticut | 6' | Carli Lloyd | Friendly | ||||
| 23 | 2021-07-24 | Saitama, Japan | 45' | Julie Ertz | Olympics: Group G | ||||
| 24 | 2021-10-26 | Saint Paul, Minnesota | Start | 9' | Sophia Smith | Friendly | |||
| 25 | 2021-11-27 | Sydney, Australia | Start | 68' | penalty | Friendly | |||
| 26 | 2022-09-03 | Kansas City, Kansas | 25' | Sophia Smith | Friendly | ||||
| 27 | 2023-04-08 | Austin, Texas | Start | 80' | penalty | Friendly | |||
| 28 | 2023-07-22 | Auckland, New Zealand | Start | 77' | Sophia Smith | World Cup: Group E | |||
| 29 | 2023-07-27 | Wellington, New Zealand | Start | 62' | Rose Lavelle | World Cup: Group E | |||
| 30 | 2023-10-29 | San Diego, California | 62' | Emily Fox | Friendly | ||||
| 31 | 2023-12-02 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | Start | 52' | Trinity Rodman | Friendly | |||
| 32 | 2024-02-23 | Carson, California | Start | 77' | penalty | CONCACAF W Gold Cup | |||
| 33 | 2024-03-03 | Los Angeles, California | 13' | penalty | CONCACAF W Gold Cup | ||||
| 34 | 2024-03-10 | San Diego, California | Start | 45+1' | Emily Fox | CONCACAF W Gold Cup | |||
| 35 | 2024-04-06 | Atlanta, Georgia | Start | 77' | penalty | 2024 SheBelieves Cup | |||
| 36 | 2024-10-27 | Nashville, Tennessee | 76' | Lynn Williams | Friendly | ||||
| 37 | 2025-04-05 | Inglewood, California | 66' | penalty | Friendly |