AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Two years ago, Lindsey Horan told Vlatko Andonovski that one of her goals was to captain the U.S. women’s national team in a World Cup.
On the eve of the Americans’ first match against Vietnam on Friday (9 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app), Andonovski reminded Horan of that moment.
“I didn’t know that it was going to happen this time around, but it did,” said Horan, who was named co-captain alongside Alex Morgan earlier this month.
She was speaking at the pre-match news conference, one of the various tasks for a team captain at a World Cup.
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[Don’t fret if USWNT doesn’t blow out Vietnam in World Cup opener]
Andonovski bestowed this leadership role on Horan and Morgan last month after longtime team captain Becky Sauerbrunn was ruled out of this summer’s tournament with a nagging injury.
Horan, a 28-year-old central midfielder, has played in plenty of major games. This is her second World Cup, she has competed in an Olympics and won a Champions League title with French club Lyon.
But even with a remarkable résumé, she has never held this much responsibility.
USWNT co-captain Lindsey Horan shares her thoughts on the world catching up to the USA
“My teammates make it a little bit easier,” Horan said of how she’s adjusting to the job requirements. “I would also like to say that I don’t change a whole lot from the player that I’ve been, especially the last two to three years and the kind of leadership role that I’ve stepped into.
“We have a lot of new players. We have a lot of young players coming into this World Cup. But it’s more about making them as confident as possible in their abilities. Everyone is more than prepared. … The No. 1 thing is go out there and enjoy it and rely on every bit of preparation that we’ve done.”
Horan’s name might not come to mind as quickly as Morgan or Megan Rapinoe — at least not yet. But she is one of the best attacking midfielders in the world and has been on that trajectory for years.
Horan actually set a precedent in 2012 when she became the first American female soccer player to skip college and head straight to the pros, laying a blueprint for players including Mallory Swanson, Trinity Rodman and others.
She spent four years with Paris Saint-Germain before returning to the U.S. and playing for the Portland Thorns, and recently signed a new contract with Lyon, which will keep her with the club through 2026.
When Horan and Morgan were named co-captains, Andonovski said Horan would wear the armband when both were on the pitch. Well, Horan seldom comes off the field, often playing the full 90 minutes. She plays more of a defensive midfielder role for the USWNT these days, which means she doesn’t get into the box or score goals as much as she used to. But her strong suit is enabling the players around her and making their lives easier.
Even less than 24 hours before kickoff in Auckland, Horan was asked what it was like to have so many Vietnam players want to take selfies with the USWNT players during a pre-tournament event last week.
Horan responded with a laugh, saying, “I did not see that, so I guess they weren’t asking for my selfie.”
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Horan also recently told a story that early on in her national team career, she was accused of trying to “copy Alex Morgan” for wearing pink pre-wrap — athletic foam tape that most of the players wear as a headband. So, she switched to red.
Now, as they begin their co-captaincy, Horan said of Morgan: “This is the closest that we’ve ever been.” Their dynamic has been to share the load and bounce things off each other.
“There are things she can take more control of and the same goes for me, so I think we have a really good relationship in this co-captaincy, and it’s been amazing,” Horan said. “It’s going to be so cool to share that role and responsibility with her going into this tournament.”
Horan also still gets advice from her longtime mentor Sauerbrunn, who often referred to Horan as her co-captain before it was official. The two are frequently in contact, but have been especially so recently ahead of the World Cup.
“I spoke to Becky a little bit before we left and actually got a text from her today wishing us good luck for tomorrow,” Horan said. “And just little things here and there, seeing how she’s doing because obviously she was such a big part of this team, and it’s unfortunate she can’t be here.
“But it’s cool to keep in touch and for her to pump me up as well and hype me up as much as possible.”
And that’s exactly what Horan will do as the World Cup begins.
Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of “Strong Like a Woman,” published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on Twitter @LakenLitman.
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