Lindsey Heaps is sitting in the heart of Lyon, a city that has witnessed her transformation from a self-described “baby” into the authoritative captain of the US women’s national team. Now wearing the iconic No 10 shirt for OL Lyonnes, inherited this season from Dzsenifer Marozsán, Heaps is reflective. She is a veteran, a leader who has won almost everything, yet she remains a student of the game, constantly seeking the “good struggles” that defined her early years.
The timing of our meeting is poignant. This month Lyonnes reasserted their dominance over the Première Ligue with a 1-0 victory against Paris Saint-Germain, before winning 4-0 against Saint-Étienne in a derby. The results leaves OL in a league of their own: 14 points clear of second-placed Nantes, with PSG cast adrift in fifth place, 17 points behind the leaders. For Heaps, these numbers are not just a source of pride; they are a symptom of a wider problem.
Although some progress is visible – “a team like Marseille that’s come up from the second division, they caused us problems in the last game that we played” – the overall picture remains frustrating for a player of her calibre. “It’s nowhere near where it needs to be for a professional league. I don’t think many clubs treat their players as professionals or create an environment that’s professional. It’s not competitive enough.”
Heaps compares this French landscape with the NWSL in the US, where parity is the primary currency. After this season she will return there with the new franchise Denver. “In the US you’ll always see like the most competition. Any team at any point can win.” In France, this lack of depth forces Lyonnes to find fire from within. “At Lyonnes, some of our really hard intense trainings are sometimes more difficult than some of the games. And it’s really great because we need to prepare for the big games.”
Facing PSG always brings a sense of perspective. It was in Paris where a teenage Heaps bypassed college to turn professional, a move unheard of for American players at the time. “I’m honestly a whole different person,” the 31-year-old says. “I didn’t flourish right away there, but I went through the good struggles that I needed.” She would do it again: “I always say to players that you should challenge yourself in your career and you should go play in another league. To go and experience a different league, a different culture … you can’t teach that anywhere, and that’s so valuable and I would have really regretted it if I never tried.”
Today, she is far from that kid. Although she is the No 10, she rejects the “star” label, preferring to be seen as a “role model” for the league. “Now I am also a leader, since the last four or five years, helping the team to improve in any way possible with my experience and the trophies I’ve won.” Her leadership style has been forged by watching the best: “Never did I ever think I would be one of the captains here or be a leader of an international club like OL, but being able to watch Wendie Renard lead and in the way that she does … I’ve learned a lot.”
She is also witnessing a historic transition at Lyonnes, encompassing a new name, logo, owner and coach. She gives “a lot of credit to Jean-Michel Aulas” for pushing the standards of the game and describes the latest owner, Michele Kang, as an “absolute fighter”.
“We’re lucky to have her. She even came in here knowing that we’re one of the best teams in the world but she stills want to make us grow, because certain things aren’t good enough. Every time I see her, I get so happy. She has such a crazy lifestyle, and she is so humble, but confident. If something needs to be done, she just goes and does it.”
One of the most revealing aspects of Heaps’ stint is her relationship with the manager, Jonatan Giráldez. “I like a coach that can challenge my brain. I know I’m not the smartest person in the world. I always want to learn. When you’re a little bit later in your career, and you’re a veteran, it’s harder to come by this.”
She admits to being a self-professed “nerd” for the game: “I probably ask way too many questions and go back and forth with them on clips. I want to know and to also make sure that I’m organising well on the field.” The focus is on the “big, big details”: decision-making, playing to the right foot and tactical positioning. “Jona is also a winner, he has that competitiveness. I’m playing against him in Tech Ball and he’s the biggest competitor. I hate playing against him, but seeing your coach like that is an example.”
For a club of Lyonnes’s stature, domestic dominance is only half the battle. To reclaim the European crown, Heaps explains that the team have engaged in a rigorous process of self-reflection. “Most players rewatch some of the games that we lost last year and the years prior where we’re this close …” she says. This collective obsession fuels the locker room culture. “When you step foot in this building, in the locker room, you just know right away that this is a winning club. And if you don’t know, you figure it out very early.”
Despite the star-studded roster, Heaps insists that talent alone won’t suffice. “You can have the best players in the world, but you need to come together as a team. That’s been a huge talking point this year. Everyone is on the same page, has the same goal in mind. It’s never been easy to win trophies like this, but it’s even more difficult now.”
The cultural exchange at Lyonnes works both ways. Heaps brings her “US mentality” to the group but has also found deep personal connections across generational lines. “It’s crazy that my best friend here is a 18-year-old Lily Yohannes and I’m not gonna say my age,” she says with a laugh. “Me and her could talk football all day every day. There’s many hard things about leaving here and saying goodbye to her is one of those. Hopefully we have many years on the national team.”
As Heaps prepares to leave Lyonnes, the weight of her time in France is evident. She has won the Olympics and the World Cup on French soil, and a Champions League with a French club. “It’s been a second home for me. Lyonnes has given me so much … It’s such a family. For me it represents everything I think about football and high standards of football.
“It was just the right time for me to go back to the NWSL. And there’s many personal reasons as well. But I’m also excited to work with Nick Cushing and to play for Denver and have different challenges as well.”
With four months left, the objective is singular. “The goal is to win, and win everything. And Champions League is obviously on the forefront. That’s the baby that you always want to win. My heart stays here and I’ll give everything I can in the last four months.”
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