Lindsey Heaps: ‘The Champions League is the baby you always want to win’

Lindsey Heaps is sitting in the heart of Lyon, a city that has witnessed her transformation from a self-described "baby" into the authoritative captain of the US women’s national team. Now wearing the iconic No 10 shirt for OL Lyonnes, inherited this season from Dzsenifer Marozsán, she is reflective: a veteran and leader who remains a student of the game, constantly seeking the "good struggles" that defined her early years.

This month Lyonnes reasserted their dominance in the Première Ligue with a 1-0 victory against Paris Saint-Germain and a 4-0 derby win over Saint-Étienne, leaving them 14 points clear of Nantes and PSG 17 points behind in fifth. Heaps sees those numbers as a symptom of a wider problem: the league is "nowhere near where it needs to be" because many clubs do not treat their players as professionals and the competition is not deep enough.

She contrasts that with the NWSL, where "any team at any point can win," and says some Lyon trainings can be harder than matches because the squad must create its own intensity.

France, Lyon

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