The American star spoke to GOAL about all things soccer, from how Europe shaped her to the dark moments that almost made her quit the sport
Lindsey Horan loves to talk about soccer, or football as she calls it. You can't blame her, really. She's spent a lot of time in Europe lately, so it's easy to understand why the two terms are interchangeable for her. Whatever you want to call it, though, Horan is ready to discuss it in any way, shape or form.
Want to talk tactics? Let her pull up a whiteboard or something to break things down. What about technique or style? Her eyes light up when asked about the differences between Europe and the United States and how her game has evolved through the influences of both. The NWSL, Champions League, Ligue 1, Women's World Cup… hell, a game on the moon. If there's a ball to be kicked and a topic to discuss, you can get Horan going on what she thinks about it and the deeper meaning of it all.
That, obviously, is one aspect of being a U.S. women's national team star: the soccer. As they head to the Women's World Cup as two-time defending champions, the USWNT is once again among the favorites. Horan, meanwhile, will serve as co-captain alongside Alex Morgan. Once just a contributor, Horan is now a leader, a mainstay, a star.
With that captaincy and that status, though, comes pressure, and not just on the field. Horan has found comfort between those lines since childhood but, for years, the USWNT has fought battles outside of it. And, for each group battle that the U.S. has fought together, each player that has represented that shirt has seemingly had their own personal fights, and Horan is no different.
"It was always a hard topic for me because I was always just that footballer that wanted the ball at my feet," she says ahead of the USWNT's opening game versus Vietnam in New Zealand. "That other stuff, I was like 'I'll leave it to the veterans and the older players to speak up for us'. In the beginning of my career, that's how it went, but the older I got, the more important those things were to me: making a name for myself but also inspiring the next generation.
"I never thought that was going to be my role, one where little girls and boys could look up to me. I thought it would always be football, but this is amazing."
Ahead of the World Cup, Horan sat down with GOAL to discuss the pressures of playing with the USWNT, why she'll never take those pressures for granted, the extreme highs and lows of life in Europe and, of course, and most importantly, football.
An emotional side to a familiar experience
You've probably seen the videos by now: the videos of players receiving "the call". There's nothing more wholesome, is there? In that moment, you see these players told the best news of their lives and, for virtually all of them, it's impossible to contain the emotions that come with that news.
Let's be honest, though: Horan knew that call was coming. She was a lock for this USWNT roster. She was named captain for a reason, because she's so damn important to this group, on and off the field. Even so, there's no containing that moment. Even with the certainty of past and present World Cups, Horan couldn't be prepared.
"I knew I would get emotional," she says. "I have that sensitive side to me, but it's also like, I think I embrace that because this is such an honor to be on this World Cup roster. I don't think any player that's here can take that for granted. Getting that call to let you know the roster, you're 23 of the best players in the U.S. going to represent your team at the biggest, highest stage possible for football.
"For me, when you sit there and you think about that in your head, like especially leading up to this phone call and everything, that's everything that I've worked for. It's everything that I've done my entire life and no matter what, no matter how many rosters I've been on or caps I have or championships or trophies or whatever, nothing will ever take away from that moment. You just cannot take that for granted and I think you will always see my emotions come out when something like that hits.
"I think that you will always see the human side of me with that and, as much as I would love to not cry on camera and have that all over social media, I think it does show a side of me that people may or may not know."
Horan, of course, has lived that moment before. She received that call from then-coach Jill Ellis back in 2019 and went on to be a key player for the U.S. on the road to a World Cup title that summer. As part of that roster, Horan sealed her own place in USWNT history as the team continued its dominance on the global stage.
This time around, though, it all feels different. In France four years ago, she felt like a newcomer being brought along for the ride. She was willing to defer to others, to fade a little bit into the background and let others lead the charge. This time, Horan knows that she's one of several player steering this team toward that ultimate goal. There's no mystery to it: Horan will be more important this time around.
"Last World Cup, maybe I didn't know my place or role as well," she says, "so there were a lot more nerves in me with just making the roster and then trying to still fit in and find my place in the team and also impact the team. I was a little bit younger.
"Obviously, I have a different role. I'm more of a leader this World Cup, an older player, so I kind of have to be that one that helps the ones with those nerves and I have a little bit more responsibility on my end, so it's exciting, but I'm sure those nerves will kick in at some point."
AdvertisementGetty ImagesA born captain
The moment Becky Sauerbrunn confirmed she wasn't heading to the World Cup, the question emerged : who would captain the USWNT? Ultimately, that responsibility was handed to Horan and Morgan, two obvious choices, to their credit.
Morgan remains the face of this team, the star striker that the whole world knows heading into her fourth World Cup. It's Horan, though, that will serve as the primary captain when both are on the field. She'll have learned from past captains, no doubt, about what that role will look like and, to be fair, being captain of the USWNT isn't really like being captain anywhere else.
That's because the U.S. is a team so loaded with personalities. From Megan Rapinoe to Kelley O'Hara to Julie Ertz to Morgan, there are so many different types of players and leadership styles scattered throughout this roster. Because of that, Horan sees herself as one of many, but she does very much acknowledge that she is one of the players that will need to shoulder a bit more this summer.
"It's just knowing who I am because I think I am a natural leader," Horan says. "It's just about how it gets voiced and how it comes out because we do have so many very outspoken people on the team, real characters and role models, veterans, everything. Now that I am one of them, it's just about how I take that on.
"I think for me, not a lot changes because this is always who I have been. I do have more responsibility, especially with the new players, the younger players to just be there for them and to help them along on this ride, get the most out of them, get the best versions of themselves
"For me, I don't want to change a whole lot because this is who I was born to be. I've always wanted to lead this team and be that role model for players on this team as well, so I'll take that on and I'll take that responsibility. When everything starts on the field, or off the field, at this World Cup, it's going to be incredible."
GettyThe lone American in Europe
Horan is quick to say it: she has nothing against the NWSL. Even as the lone representative of European soccer in the USWNT squad, she's still pushing for the NWSL to thrive. She still loves Portland, the Portland Thorns and her old team-mates. She misses them all dearly.
But there's something that captivates her about the European game. She's been abroad twice, first for a four-year stint with Paris Saint-Germain and, most recently, for a loan spell with Lyon that was inevitably made permanent just before the World Cup. Her place in Europe made her World Cup preparations a bit difficult. As the rest of her team-mates have been playing games in the NWSL during her offseason, Horan has made sure to stay in shape with her own individual program.
She wouldn't trade her experience for the world, though, despite any issues it brings. Of course, there are challenges: living away from family and friends, playing in a foreign country away from the comforts of home. For Horan, though, it's about the football, and about the chance to play it at a level she believes is the highest possible.
"I get to play against the best players in the world every single day in training," she says of Lyon. "Not against anything and the league here, but I'm sorry, I don't get that here. You get that over there. They're investing. They're throwing people into it. They're throwing money at it. They're doing whatever they possibly can. You can see the output. You see the fans that show up and watch the game and that makes it that much more exciting. You want to entertain them. It's where you go to watch the best football."
Her loan spell with Lyon went about as well as it could. With the midfielder helping to lead the charge, the French powerhouses won the Division 1 Feminine twice, the Coupe de France Feminine and, most importantly, the Champions League. Horan sees that Champions League win as one of the highlights of her career, saying it's the closest thing you can get to an Olympic gold or a World Cup.
"You can see back when we won the Champions League last year, I'm a baby all over the field," she says with a laugh. "I'm crying like non-stop." That moment helped convince her to stay in Europe as she opted to make her stay permanent after about a year-and-a-half in France.
"With Portland, it's difficult because that's been my home for so many years," she said. "I was on loan with the assumption that I was coming back. Nothing against the club and what they're doing because they've had so much success while I was gone. It was just not for me anymore. I wanted to be in Europe. I want to be playing in the Champions League for many more years. I want to go win more trophies with Lyon and challenge myself.
"One thing I do have to say: I can't train on synthetic grass or synthetic turf. Every single day in Portland, it would not do well on my body. I don't think any of those players should be playing on it. So that's my hot take for the day, and I would be mad at myself if I didn't say it! That went into that decision as well."
Getty ImagesDark times, and fighting back against them
There was one other factor that complicated Horan's decision to return to Europe: the fact that her first stint abroad felt like a nightmare. Back in 2021, Horan opened up on the abuse she suffered during her time in PSG, which got so bad that she, at one point, wanted to quit soccer. Horan, who signed with PSG straight out of high school, says she was frequently body shamed by the club's staff, prompting her to lose weight to a point where she felt unhealthy in an effort to appease those in charge.
She left the French side in 2016 and didn't go public until five years later when she realized that, by sharing her experience, she may be able to help someone going through something similar. If a professional athlete is going through something like this, there's no doubt that others are as well.
"It ended up being a big thing just because people were like, absolutely shocked," she says. "You have a national-team player that's talking about this and it's kind of crazy. I think that was what settled in with me because I'm very comfortable speaking about this because I'm sure it's happening elsewhere. Like it's happening to me and I'm playing for the women's national team, I think a lot of players might look at that and be like,' Wow, this is big for a player that's made it here to able to speak about that'.
"So many people in our league reached out saying they're so thankful for that and maybe just having that comfort that someone else has gone through it and whatnot, but yeah, it was difficult. It was so hard."
After playing for the Thorns from 2016-21, Horan was given the opportunity to return to France with Lyon. It was a chance to play at what she saw as the best level she could, but also a chance for her to return to a country where she had some of her darkest moments.
"When I was thinking about going back to France, it obviously came up," Horan said, "And I was nervous. I was just like, 'Now, I need to know who I am'. I needed to remember how far I've come. Obviously, that stuff is always going to affect me. It hurt me at the time. I almost got to a point where I wanted to quit and I've spoken openly about that, but I don't want that to ever happen again.
"I'm also very confident in who I am, the player I am with the body I have, so I'm going to go prove to myself, not to anyone else, that I can go to a new team, even if it's France, and be me and impact their team in the way that I can and be the best version of myself.
"Lyon is nothing like what I experienced in Paris. Everyone there is incredible. Everyone there is supportive, and nothing is about what I went through there. So that's one, the best part, and two, it's just like they want the best for you. They want me to be the absolute best and they have the confidence in me and the leader that I am. I'm an older player now, so they're just like 'We know you know your body and everything that you're gonna do'. They let me prepare in the ways I know how, so it was very helpful that they were so respectful of that."