Lindsey Michelle Heaps (née Horan; ; born May 26, 1994) (alternate link) 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.
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.
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 (PSG).
Club career Colorado Rush 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
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. On September 23, she made her professional debut for the club, scoring in a 5–0 win over Saint-Étienne. On January 30, 2013, she scored her first professional hat trick as PSG routed second-tier Montigny in their Coupe de France Féminine opener. 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.
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. 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. She finished the season as PSG's second-leading scorer behind Marie-Laure Delie with 16 goals, including 14 in the league.
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. The next month, she helped PSG oust rivals Lyon from the Champions League round of 16. She then underwent surgery early the next year and missed the rest of the season as PSG reached the Champions League final. She had scored 10 goals through half a season.
On January 4, 2016, PSG 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 Juvisy, scoring the opening goal. Heaps scored 46 goals in 58 appearances for PSG.
Portland Thorns
On January 13, 2016, Heaps signed with Portland Thorns FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Unlike her role at PSG, Heaps played for Portland in central midfield in a position similar to her national team role. She made her NWSL debut on April 17, scoring the 2–1 winner in Portland's season opener against the Orlando Pride. 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. 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. She finished the season with 6 goals in 16 appearances in all competitions.
The following season, Heaps started all 26 games and scored 5 goals for the Thorns as she won her first NWSL championship. On June 3, 2017, she scored twice in a 2–0 win over Sky Blue FC, earning NWSL Player of the Week. 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. 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. She was also named to the NWSL Second XI at the end of the season.
In 2018, Heaps started 24 games and led the Thorns with 14 goals, ranking third on the regular-season scoring chart with 13. 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. 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. 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. Following the season, she was named to the NWSL Best XI and was named the NWSL Most Valuable Player.
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. 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. 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.
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. 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. She finished the season with 3 goals in 17 appearances in all competitions as the Thorns won the NWSL Shield for the second time. She missed Portland's playoff semifinal due to an eye injury, where the Thorns lost 2–0 to the Chicago Red Stars. She was named to the NWSL Second XI at the end of the season, receiving her fourth NWSL Best XI selection.
Lyon On January 27, 2022, Heaps returned to France on loan with continental powerhouse Olympique Lyonnais. On February 6, she made her debut for Lyon in a 1–0 win over Bordeaux. 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. Heaps and teammate Catarina Macario became the fourth and fifth Americans to win the UEFA Women's Champions League. She made 10 appearances in her debut season as Lyon won their record-extending 15th league title.
On September 18, 2022, Heaps scored her first goal for Lyon in a 2–1 victory over Soyaux. On October 27, she scored her first Champions League goal for the club as they drew 1–1 with Juventus in the group stage. 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). 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. She made 27 appearances and scored 8 goals during the season as Lyon defended the league title. She was named to the UNFP Team of the Season after the season.
On June 22, 2023, the Thorns permanently transferred Heaps to Lyon for a fee of €250,000 (US$274,000) with a conditional bonus of an additional €50,000 (US$54,750). On October 14, she scored her first hat trick for Lyon in a 6–0 league victory over Saint-Étienne. On March 27, 2024, she provided two assists in a 4–1 win over Benfica in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals. 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. Lyon also reached the Champions League final but lost 2–0 to Barcelona. 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.
On November 16, 2024, Heaps scored her second hat trick for Lyon in the first 35 minutes, also against Saint-Étienne. Lyon reached the Champions League semifinals but were eliminated by eventual champions Arsenal. On May 11, 2025, she scored in the league playoff semifinals against Dijon as Lyon went on to their fourth consecutive league title. She ended the season with 13 goals in 28 appearances in all competitions, also leading the league with 8 assists, and was named in the UNFP and LFFP Teams of the Season.
Heaps made 35 appearances and scored 6 goals in her final season with Lyon. 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. The next week, she scored against Nantes in the league playoff semifinals. On May 23, she played in her third Champions League final but lost 4–0 to Barcelona. 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.
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.
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.