Lindsey Heaps is back in the NWSL.
Those are seven words that some league fans weren’t sure they’d ever hear again. Heaps departed the league to play in France in 2021, and the country where she began her professional career at age 18 welcomed her back with open arms. She’s hinted that NWSL salary caps played a role in her decision to go back to Europe, a problem that’s been solved now — in part.
Heaps signed with expansion side Denver Summit FC in January with the intention of joining the team in July. Per ESPN, her four-year contract is eligible for the High Impact Player (HIP) designation, which can earn her up to $1 million per year. And while money is bound to be part of the equation, it also sounds like Heaps is ready to make her mark — again — on the American game.
A Colorado native returns home
The 32-year-old met with reporters on Thursday and spoke about how the competitive environment the Summit has fostered, plus her experience of growing up in Colorado, impacted her decision to join the team.
“There are so many incredible athletes and players that have come through the system in Colorado,” Heaps said. “So I think we were very lucky to grow up here, and be around that and be surrounded by such incredible players, and competitive players as well. So I think you see a lot of Colorado athletes that have come up the ranks here … I see so many that are in the NWSL right now.”
Heaps has also seen other changes in the NWSL since she last played in the league.
“First and foremost, it’s really cool to see the type of football that’s being played,” she said. “I think from the time that I had at Portland and now being away six years and coming back, and the games that I was able to watch while I was overseas, which was really difficult because they were at terrible times for me … It’s so crazy just how the game evolves.”
Some of that evolution has been homegrown, but it’s also been imported.
“And 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,” Heaps said. “Where 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 on any given day any team can win, and that makes our league very, very special.”
Those different styles of play are also the result of new ownership groups who have emphasized taking care of players and hiring the right coaches, Heaps said.
“So you bring in a coach like Nick Cushing, with such an incredible experience and playing or target coaching for top top clubs, and you bring them here, and what an advantage for us to have,” she continued, “because you get a tactical brain that is incredible, but you also have a winner.”
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Heaps is having an immediate impact
After one reporter said she’s “changed the mentality of this group” in her first three days, Heaps reflected on what it takes to join a team halfway through the season, and what she hopes to accomplish.
“It’s always hard coming in mid-season,” she admitted. “I think I’ve tried to, [for] my first few days, listen, kind of watch, and see how the group works, how the staff works. But I also know it is my job as a leader and an experienced player to come in and insert myself in the best way possible.”
She continued, “I want to feel people out. I want to communicate and just learn a little bit more about each individual. But I also hope they know I just want to raise the standard as much as I possibly can.”
That’s the work of experienced players for any team, Heaps pointed out. “I think that’s my job, and I think the the more experienced players, the veterans, the best players on the team, you got to keep raising the level and and keep making this this team and this club — which I know the ownership wants to be a winning club — we raise that level every single day, and that’s my job to come here and and do the same.”
Denver was officially awarded an expansion team in January 2025, joining Boston Legacy as the newest members of the NWSL. The Summit is currently ranked 10th in a league of 16 sixteen teams.
For Heaps, that ranking gives her an opportunity.
“I operate day by day. I know we have goals. I know for me, I’m a winner. I know this is going to be a winning club, and I’ve seen the results,” she said. “I know there’s some [games] that haven’t gone our way. I’ve seen some where we play outstanding, and we deserve to win. And I think that’s what we strive to do every single time.”
There’s nothing easy about guiding a brand-new team through its first few seasons, but Heaps also knows what she wants to do. “My expectations are always very, very high for myself, and I always want that. I want to raise a standard every single day.”
Summit fans only have a few more days to wait until Heaps, whose jersey is still among the top-selling in the league despite her prolonged absence, hits the pitch. Her first game for the Summit will be on July 18 against her former team, the Portland Thorns.
Once she hits the ground, she’s not going to stop doing the best work she can do.
“I think you can expect the ‘very best Lindsey,’ I should be raising the standard,” Heaps added. “That’s what they brought me here to do, and hopefully to mesh well with the team and have the team understand how I play, how I am as a leader, and that’s my goal.”
