USWNT star Lindsey Heaps makes Denver Summit debut in hometown return to NWSL

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Lindsey Heaps is officially back in the National Women’s Soccer League.

The longtime U.S. women’s national team captain on Saturday made her debut with Denver Summit FC, her hometown club with which she signed in January, against her former club, Portland Thorns, in the first-ever match played at Centennial Stadium. It was a historic moment for Denver and Heaps, who is a native of Golden, Colo.

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“It’s a little surreal for me,” Heaps said in her introductory press conference earlier this month. “Every morning now that I’m driving in my home state to work, it’s just weird. I’ve never had that before. It’s such a grateful feeling. I’m just so happy to be here.”

Heaps wore the captain’s armband in Denver on Saturday. Seconds before that referee blew the whistle for the match to begin, she shared a moment with USWNT teammate and Portland Thorns midfielder Olivia Moultrie. Heaps started her tenure with the club strong, nearly scoring her first Summit goal in the eighth minute, after connecting with teammate Yazmeen Ryan in the box. Heaps’ and Denver’s attempts kept coming as the first half remained underway.

Portland’s Sophia Wilson, a Windsor, Colo., native, opened scoring in the match, converting off a penalty awarded to the Thorns in the 25th minute. Denver Summit kept the pressure on, and finally equalized in the 45+8 minute, with a banger scored by none other than co-captain Janine Sonis, another Colorado native from Highlands Ranch.

The match remained 1-1 heading into halftime.

While Heaps signed with Denver Summit in January through 2029, her return to the NWSL was delayed because she was determined to finish her final season with OL Lyonnes, where she played for four years. Her debut on July 18 comes four days after the secondary transfer window opened.

Heaps was a dream signing for Denver, an expansion club that played its first game in March. Her arrival felt inevitable but was seen as a massive boost for not only the club but also the NWSL, as it struggled with the optics of top USWNT players choosing to play in Europe.

The 32-year-old is considered a pioneer in women’s soccer, becoming the first American woman to skip college soccer and sign a professional contract out of high school. She signed with France-based Paris Saint-Germain at 18 in 2012, returning to the U.S. four years later when she signed with Portland in hopes of making the USWNT’s Olympic roster. In 2022, she returned to Europe after signing with Lyon.

Heaps recently praised the NWSL’s competitive level, describing the play as having evolved significantly and positively since she last was in the league.

“From the time that I had at Portland and now — being away six years, and coming back …. it’s so crazy just how the game evolves,” Heaps said. “You have different types of players, different types of coaches that are coming in.  Some European coaches, some European players, international players, and I’ve seen the football evolve in a really great way.

“Our league is so unique, where it is, I believe, the most competitive league in the world. I don’t know if there’s a lot of leagues out there where, like on any given day any team can win, and that makes our league very, very special.”

Denver’s game on Saturday marks the expansion team’s first match played at Centennial Stadium, the team’s temporary home venue as their permanent stadium at Santa Fe Yards remains under construction. Summit anticipates debuting in its new stadium for the 2028 season. The team recently celebrated the opening of CommonSpirit Performance Center, its first-ever training center.

“You cannot be mad about coming to work here,” Heaps recently said, “and getting on the field and being with the staff and this group. It’s been amazing. It’s just a few days in, so I’m happy. I’m just trying to integrate and feel out the group and try to be Lindsey in here.”

The Summit currently sits 11th in the NWSL with a 4-5-4 record (win-loss-draw) and 16 points across 14 matches while Portland remains the top-ranked team with an 8-4-3 record and 30 points across 16 matches. This could change depending on the final result of Saturday’s match.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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