Who Is Lindsey Horan? New Details On The U.S. Women's Soccer Midfielder Competing In The World Cup
She scored the first goal against Sweden.
getty Unless you’ve been living under a rock, the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team played its final game of the first round of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup against Sweden, and beat them 2-0! This means they will advance to the next round and assuming they make it to the end, will play the final game on July 7th. They’ve now won three games, defeating Thailand 13-0, Chile 3-0, and Sweden 2-0.
There’s no doubt about it that the U.S. team is the most successful team in international women’s soccer. They’ve won three Women’s World Cup titles and four Olympic gold medals. But in a recent lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation, the entire team alleged the Federation is in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and doesn’t pay them as much as their male counterpart team, who don’t win nearly as often.
But if you saw the game yesterday, there is one player who stands out. Who is Lindsey Horan? She scored the first goal of the game against Sweden last night, but what else do we know about her?
Here are 5 details to know about the midfielder on the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team.
1. She played soccer in high school.
However, she didn’t play for her school. She played club soccer on the Colorado Rush, beginning during the U-11 tryouts. When she was 15 years old, she became one of the youngest players on the United States under-17 women’s national team. She was named to the Parade Magazine High School All-American team when she was a sophomore, even though she wasn’t on the high school team.
2. She didn’t go to college.
Though ESPN named Horan the top-ranked college prospect, she declined a scholarship to play for the North Carolina Tar Heels, and signed with French club soccer team Paris Saint-Germain FC (PSG). She was just 18 when she headed right to the pros!
This move was unheard of in women’s team sports in the U.S., but according to Horan, “At the time, that definitely is not what I was thinking. It was more so just what was best for me, and what I needed to do to meet my goals and put myself in an uncomfortable position. And something that I’ve always wanted to do in my life was play professionally overseas and do whatever I could to get myself on the women's national team.”
What fueled her decision to go pro? For her, it was knowing that’s what she wanted: “It took me a year to make the decision to go pro and skip college and give up that. You really have to know inside that you do not want to do [the college route], that professional soccer is what you want to do with your life. You’re giving up a lot, and you need to know it’s not going to be easy.”
3. She’s had quite the professional career.
Horan played with Paris Saint-Germain FC (PSG) from 2012 to 2016, so she could return to the U.S. That year, she signed with the Portland Thorns FC. In 2018, she was named to the NWSL Best XI, as well as the NWSL Most Valuable Player.
And what makes Horan so unique is how she plays on the field. She scores goals, dribbles, is a “midfielder enforcer,” and “tips the balance from defensive solidity to overwhelming attacking force.” She’s also won numerous awards. And in addition to winning NWSL MVP, she’s also won 2017 NWSL Second XI, 2017 NWSL Championship MVP, and 2018 NWSL Best XI.
4. It’s her first World Cup.
Horan narrowly missed the roster for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, but this time around, she made her dreams come true: “This has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl. There’s just been so many difficult times. I always remember that this is the game I fell in love with. I think that’s what kept me on this path for so long,” she said.
In fact, the goal against Sweden wasn’t her first. She scored her first World Cup goal in the game against Thailand! And for her, being in the World Cup is much different than playing for Paris: “It’s insanely different. At 18 in Paris, I’m young, I’m shy, I’m very nervous about the culture and language, and socially just kept myself inside and didn’t get out there until more internationals came and Tobin [Heath] was there. And as I got more comfortable, things started getting easier for me and I actually got out of my apartment.”
But she isn’t quick to take all the credit for making goals. Instead, she praises her team, saying in a pre-match press conference:
“What’s so special about this team is the depth. I think any player that comes off the bench is bringing something new and different and amazing to our team... You saw that the other night with the players coming off the bench in Thailand. I think two of them scored goals and so I think that’s what makes this team so special. The starting lineup. The attack that we have is absolutely amazing, and then we have another how many players that can come off the bench and do the same thing and bring something different and new. That’s what’s so incredible about this team.”
5. Her teammates continue to praise her.
Since Horan lived in France for two years, she’s a valuable source to her teammates off the field. Said Samantha Mewis, “She’s definitely guiding us around. She gives us little French tips when we have questions. My parents and I followed behind her and her parents last night, like 10 feet away, to dinner because I had no idea where to go. So we were just like little ducklings.”
But Horan is more than that, and her team never doubted her for a second. Mewis continued, “We kind of always knew she’d be here. Everyone in the youth camps was always like, ‘We just knew that this was where Lindsey was going to end up.’”
Samantha Maffucci is an editor for YourTango who focuses on writing trending news and entertainment pieces. In her free time, you can find her obsessing about cats, wine, and all things Vanderpump Rules.