When Lyon make the short journey to London this week to take on Arsenal in the Champions League semi-finals, Lindsey Heaps is going to be put in a position she’s not all that familiar with. That’s not related to the pressure, the difficult opponent or the big crowd set to be rooting against her side. No, it’s because there will likely be another American lining up against her.
Oftentimes over the years, Heaps has been one of just a few members of the United States women’s national team playing abroad, if not the only one. She’s long been an advocate for others to follow suit, to enjoy a different experience to that of the NWSL, and many are doing exactly that now, with the Arsenal pair of Emily Fox and Jenna Nighswonger two of 11 USWNT internationals in Europe.
“[It’s] so cool, so exciting and also very special for me, because these moments don’t happen a lot,” Heaps said this week. “This past camp, I was giving Foxy as much crap as I possibly could and trying to just chip at her a little bit. It's really cool to see her thriving in that environment. I love the way Arsenal play. I really respect the team in general and to see her go and make that big move and play well and be a very impactful player for the team, I think that's really special for me to see as a [USWNT] captain. I want all of my players to be doing well - just not this weekend, I hope!”