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Lindsey Heaps has long been a pioneering figure for USWNT stars making their mark in Europe. As she prepares to return to the NWSL, a historic Champions League victory would serve as the perfect farewell for the Lyon star.

Throughout her career, Lindsey Heaps has accomplished remarkable feats. With the United States women’s national team, she has lifted the World Cup and captured 12 major club titles, including the Champions League. Yet, arguably her most lasting contribution to football has been her role as a trailblazer for U.S. women’s soccer, influencing generations in multiple ways.

At just 18, Heaps made the unprecedented choice to forgo college and turn professional immediately, becoming the first American woman to take that step. It would be five years before another player, Mallory Swanson, followed suit—after seeking advice from Heaps herself. Now, such a path has become a frequent and accepted route for young American talents.

But Heaps’ leap was even greater—she didn’t just turn pro, she left the U.S. to do it. At that time, USWNT players rarely ventured abroad. Only one, Ali Krieger, had ever made a U.S. World Cup roster while playing overseas, doing so in 2011. It would take another 12 years before anyone else joined her ranks.

That next player was Heaps. Her bold move, joining Paris Saint-Germain as a non-French-speaking teenager 14 years ago, has since paid off tremendously. The doors she opened for her compatriots are now wide open. As her U.S. return nears, closing her European chapter with a second Champions League trophy—becoming the first USWNT player to achieve that feat—would be a fitting finale.

A Different Time

Early in Heaps’ career, the landscape for USWNT players abroad looked very different. When the NWSL was launched in 2012, salaries for two dozen USWNT players were subsidized by U.S. Soccer. It was therefore unsurprising that the rosters for the 2015 and 2019 World Cups—both U.S. triumphs—consisted entirely of NWSL-based players.

Additionally, the USWNT often held training camps outside FIFA windows, when foreign clubs were not obliged to release players. Two-time world champion Kelley O’Hara once told The Athletic: “That kept a lot of us in the States.”

Given that the NWSL was the third attempt at a professional women’s league in the U.S., after the WUSA (2003) and WPS (2012) both folded, U.S. Soccer was determined for it to succeed. Keeping national team stars at home was seen as vital. For years, playing in the NWSL was practically a requirement for national team selection.

Adapting to Circumstances

Heaps spent four productive years in France with PSG, scoring 54 goals in 76 matches. She learned from top teammates, faced world-class opposition like Lyon, and gained valuable Champions League experience.

However, when Jill Ellis named her squad for the 2015 Women’s World Cup, Heaps was left out. After earning two caps in 2013 under Tom Sermanni, she was not called up in 2014. Following a discussion with Ellis, Heaps returned to the U.S. in 2016 to sign for the Portland Thorns—a move that helped her make the 2016 Olympic Games roster. “At the time, you kind of needed to be in the U.S.,” she admitted.

Establishing Her Legacy

From that point, Heaps became a USWNT mainstay. She featured in 24 matches in 2016, despite starting the year with only six caps. She played a crucial role in the 2019 World Cup triumph in France and reached her 100th international appearance in 2021.

While her U.S. return played a part, her four years in France were equally instrumental in her development into a top-tier international player. With her national team place secure and a new collective bargaining agreement ending the federation’s wage payments to NWSL players, the chance to return to Europe presented itself—and Heaps seized it.

A Return to Europe

In January 2022, after winning every possible trophy with Portland, Heaps joined Lyon on loan before making the move permanent. “After so long in the NWSL, I wanted a new challenge,” she said last year, reflecting on her decision to head back to Europe.

She was the only American on the 2023 Women’s World Cup roster based abroad—just the second ever after Krieger. That was partly due to Catarina Macario’s injury; Macario had also followed Heaps’ path, skipping college to go pro with Lyon.

By the 2024 Olympics, Heaps was joined by Arsenal’s Emily Fox and Korbin Shrader, who had moved from PSG to Lyon, bringing the number of U.S. players abroad on the gold medal-winning roster to three.

Emma Hayes’ recent squad for a triple-header against Japan included seven players from outside the NWSL. Among them, goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce earned her first call-up while playing abroad—a milestone that might not have occurred had Heaps not proved the value and opportunity of playing overseas.

Leading by Example

Shrader, now a teammate of Heaps at Lyon, also chose the European route, leaving college early to join PSG in January 2023 before earning her first U.S. call-up that November. Reflecting on Heaps’ influence, Shrader said: “She’s had an incredible career. Her move here and her talent opened a lot of doors. Playing alongside her has been amazing—it’s inspiring to learn from her, watch her closely, and take her advice.”

In 2017, when Swanson became the second American woman to skip college for a pro career, she sought Heaps’ counsel. “I asked her what PSG was like and she answered honestly,” Swanson recalled. “She said, ‘I’m here for you, whatever you decide,’ but she never pushed me.”

Those qualities have made Heaps a trusted leader. Over time, she’s evolved into a captain for the USWNT, with Shrader noting how her “leadership and talent” resonate throughout the team.

Chasing a Storybook Ending

Lyon will look to Heaps for inspiration as they approach the final weeks of the season. It’s an emotional moment for the 31-year-old. Shrader revealed that “there were a lot of tears” when teammates learned Heaps would leave at season’s end to join the Denver Summit, the NWSL’s newest club. Still, the focus remains on finishing strong—with one trophy already secured and three more up for grabs.

Among them, the Champions League holds special meaning. It’s the competition that draws American players to Europe, and it’s also the hardest to win. Heaps is one of only seven USWNT players ever to lift the trophy, doing so in 2022. None have won it twice.

The upcoming semi-final against Arsenal adds extra intrigue. The first leg takes place Sunday at the Emirates Stadium—fitting, as Heaps is a fan of the Gunners. Last season, Lyon won 2-1 in London but then lost 4-1 at home, eventually watching Arsenal go on to beat Barcelona for the title.

“It’s been a while since we lifted that Champions League trophy. We all feel that hunger, and we remember what happened last year,” Heaps said recently on her new podcast The Captain, co-hosted with former teammate Sam Mewis. “There’s still something left in our hearts from that. We don’t want to experience it again.”

She added, “Winning this trophy is the pinnacle of club football. It means everything.” For Heaps, capturing it once more in her final European season would be a fairytale ending to a truly trailblazing career.