'Excited to come home' - Inside USWNT star Lindsey Heaps’ bold decision to join Denver Summit

When Heaps’ signing with Denver Summit FC through 2029 was announced Monday, the club revealed it with a moment that underscored just how much the move meant. In a video presented as a routine U.S. Soccer interview, Heaps’ parents were quietly surprised with the news that their daughter wouldn’t just be returning to the NWSL - she’d be coming home.

“We’ve got to spend 20 years watching her play,” Heaps’ dad said in the video. “And I love it.”

The full-circle reveal landed moments later, when it was announced that Heaps would be the newest signing of Denver Summit FC.

“You’re coming home! We’ve wanted this all along. We can watch you,” her dad added.

The emotion behind the reveal mirrors the logic of the move itself. Heaps will return to Colorado this summer following the conclusion of OL Lyonnes’ season, closing out a highly successful chapter in France that included a UEFA Women’s Champions League title in 2022 and three consecutive league crowns. Just last season, she scored 12 goals and added eight assists in 15 starts, remaining one of Europe’s most productive midfielders.

“I’m incredibly excited to come home to Colorado and join Denver Summit FC,” Heaps said in the club’s press release. “This club represents something special, not just for the league, but for this community and for the next generation of players growing up here. I’m fully committed to finishing the season strong with OL Lyonnes, and I can’t wait to begin this next chapter in Denver this summer.”

For Denver Summit, landing a player of Heaps’ caliber validates its ambition. For Heaps, it’s a return timed perfectly - professionally, competitively, and personally.

For most professional players, “home” becomes wherever the game takes them. For Lindsey Heaps, that’s meant a life built across continents - from Portland to Paris to Lyon - with Colorado always lingering in the background.

She grew up in Golden, just outside Denver, developing her game with Colorado Rush before emerging as one of the brightest prospects in the U.S. youth system. Heaps debuted for the U.S. Under-17 national team at just 15, scoring 12 goals in nine appearances, and bypassed high school soccer entirely to focus on club and national team commitments. Even then, much of her development happened on the road.

When the time came to choose a college program, Heaps went against the norm. Despite being the top prospect in her class and holding an offer from UNC, she opted to turn professional - a rare and unconventional decision at the time. At 18, she left home for Paris, trading proximity to family for the challenge she believed would best push her career forward.

That choice defined her rise. But it also meant that “home” became something distant. Until now.

Heaps’ return to Colorado finally aligns her career with her roots. For the first time, her parents - Linda and Mark Horan - will be able to watch their daughter play without crossing time zones or continents, a simple luxury rarely available over her 15-year professional journey.

For Denver Summit FC, that full-circle moment carries weight. And for Heaps, now 31, it marks the rare intersection of ambition and belonging - a return that makes sense not just emotionally, but professionally.

Heaps’ return also reflects Colorado’s long-standing role in the women’s game.

Alongside Heaps, players like Mallory Swanson, Sophia Wilson and Jaelin Howell all share the same origin point: Colorado. Producing four of the world’s top players from one state is no coincidence, and it’s a major reason why the NWSL viewed Denver as a natural expansion market.

Jordan Angeli, an NWSL broadcaster and ambassador for Denver Summit FC, believes the league’s decision was rooted as much in history as geography.

“There’s so many reasons that this is a great expansion team,” Angeli told GOAL. “When you look at the bigger picture of the NWSL geographically, Denver is in an amazing space. It’s in the middle of the country… it really fits nicely into the landscape of the league. But most importantly, it’s the right place because it is a city that is ready to have a women’s sports team. We have a really good team in every other league, and we don’t have a women’s professional team.”

She added, “Historically, we have, for years and years and years, really good competitive elite soccer players. It just makes sense to have that next step - to provide this community with the opportunity to watch women’s soccer every weekend.”

The numbers support that history. In 2025, Colorado ranked third in the nation in Division I players produced per capita, even with top prospects like Heaps and Swanson bypassing the college route entirely.

“We’re going to see a lot of players from Colorado come through the ranks,” Angeli said.

For Denver Summit, that context matters. Landing Heaps isn’t just a marquee signing - it’s a clear signal that the club plans to lean into Colorado’s soccer roots, starting with one of the state’s most accomplished players.

In the video announcing her return, Heaps became emotional as she reflected on what coming home represents - and who made it possible.

“As a young kid growing up here, they were the ones that gave me the opportunity to play,” she said.

By nearly every measure, Heaps has already built a complete career. She has earned 170 caps with the USWNT, won the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, and captained the Americans to Olympic gold in 2024. What remained unfinished wasn’t silverware - it was geography.

“I’ve been overseas forever, and I’ve been playing away from home for so long,” Heaps said. “And they [her family] have traveled so much to come see me. Now they can drive 20, 30 minutes to come watch me play.”

That proximity is part of the point. For the first time, Heaps isn’t asking her support system to follow her across continents. She’s bringing the game back to them - and to the community that helped launch her career.

“I think that’s probably what means most,” she added. “I can give back to them in a way.”

For Denver Summit, the return of a hometown star validates the club’s vision. For Heaps, it’s a chance to return the investment - and to finish a career defined by bold choices in the place where it all began.