USWNT lean on captain Lindsey Heaps in SheBelieves Cup opener

The newcomers have been the hot topic of the U.S. Women's National Team as of late, especially after two of the least-capped starting lineups in program history took the pitch in January. But it was the captain and veteran midfielder Lindsey Heaps who propelled the USA to a 2-0 win against Argentina on March 1 in the first match day of the 2026 SheBelieves Cup, presented by Visa.

Heaps’ performance underscored a key theme that U.S. head coach Emma Hayes has been sharing with the media over the past year. As much as she wants to give younger players opportunities on the field and deepen the player pool, the impact of the veterans – on and off the field – is still vitally important to the team’s success.

Heaps scored the opening goal in the 19th minute after receiving a pass inside the penalty arc from forward Emma Sears. Heaps took a touch before beautifully curling a left-footed shot into the upper left side of the goal past the fully-extended Argentina goalkeeper. 

“It’s not a lot of times that you get time and space at the top of the box,” Heaps said. “I knew I had to take my opportunity, and I’m glad it fell to me.”

The goal was her first since May of last year, and it marked the 12th consecutive calendar year in which she scored a goal for the National Team, a mightily impressive achievement and one she shares with some of the greats of the USWNT, Mia Hamm, Abby Wambach and Carli Lloyd to name a few. She later recorded the assist on Jaedyn Shaw’s goal to seal the 2-0 victory, marking her seventh USWNT match in which she has had at least one goal and one assist.

Heaps entered the match with 170 caps while the rest of the Starting XI combined for 99. Besides Shaw (32), no one else in the lineup had more than 15 caps, and four players were competing in their first tournament with the senior squad.

“I think that’s the most important thing going into a World Cup is you get that experience,” Heaps said. “You have to maybe take some risks, make some sacrifices. Some of the experienced players don’t get as much playing time, but the things that we’ve done over the last few years are all for a common goal.”

The tournament-style intensity was certainly felt in the match that saw Argentina commit 21 fouls, and both Lilly Reale and Trinity Rodman left the pitch after taking hard challenges. Hayes compared the ferocity to the Oct. 23 match against Portugal, the last time the team lost.

“It wasn’t the prettiest of games,” Heaps said about the Argentina match. “It was a hard team to face, very aggressive, with a lot of pressure, type of team, but we got the win at the end of the day, and that’s what’s most important.”

The USA will face Canada in the next match of the tournament in what could be a preview of a Concacaf W Championship matchup for World Cup qualification later this year. The winner of Wednesday’s match can take sole possession of first place in the SheBelieves Cup standings.

“(Argentina and Canada) are very different opponents, but I think for us, it’s just getting used to those scrappy games, having to get into tackles, having those moments where we have to control our emotions or control the tempo of the game,” Shaw said. “Making sure we can continue that on to the next game against Canada, it’ll be a really exciting one.”