Lindsey Horan Named USWNT Co-Captain for Women’s World Cup

Colorado’s very own Lindsey Michelle Horan keeps piling up personal accomplishments, victories, and awards. This morning, she chalked up yet another notable honor when U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) head coach Vladko Andonovski named Horan, along with veteran Alex Morgan, as co-captains of the U.S. 2023 World Cup team.

“We have a lot of leaders on this team among the young players and the veteran players, and among those, Lindsey and Alex have vast experience in big games, and they understand what it takes to win at the highest levels”, Andonovski stated via a news release issued by U.S. Soccer. 

He added “They are ultimate professionals and understand all the factors that go into having a united and motivated team. I know they will represent us well on and off the field at the World Cup.”

To date, Horan, a product of metro west Denver’s Colorado Rush Soccer Club, has captained the U.S. nine times from the first whistle of each game. The venerable Morgan has pulled up the armband over her bicep on 22 occasions during her illustrious career. According to U.S. Soccer, should the duo be on the pitch at the same time during the tournament, Horan will wear the band.

Horan’s meteoric rise within the senior women’s programs was launched on March 8, 2013 when she made her debut against China in the Algarve Cup. 

Fast forward to October 2021. Horan belatedly celebrated her 100th cap for the Lady Yanks in sold-out Children’s Mercy Park, Kansas City, Kansas. The U.S. hosted the Republic of Korea during their annual SheBelieves Cup Tournament before a lively audience.

Her actual hundredth game was played during the COVID-19 postponed Tokyo Olympics in July 2021. Horan scored once in a 6-1 outcome over New Zealand during their second game of the Olympics.

Her trajectory was boosted again on October 26, 2021, when fan-favorite Carli Lloyd was about to play her last game for the United States. During a pre-match training session, Lloyd surprised Horan with the distinction of earning her No. 10 jersey.

The notification came by way of Lloyd handing Horan a U.S. kit with the No. 10 and her last name embossed on the shoulders in bold type. Horan was floored when she realized what had just occurred, and its significance.

Not to take anything away from Horan’s mountain of success, but a few months ago one would speculated that veteran Becky Sauerbrunn would have been teamed up with Morgan as co-captains. But an injury forced her to withdraw from the tournament team. As a result, Horan moved into the position and won the distinction.

During the team’s recent media day event in Carson, California, the amiable Horan said “I’m so, so sad for Becky, she was a huge role model for me, someone who took me under her wing and helped me in this leadership role. I think my leadership role has changed a huge amount on the field and I’ve worked more and more (on it) off the field.”

She continued, “Going into a major tournament like this, it’s about doing my thing, who I am as a leader and not changing any bit just because we unfortunately lost Becky. I’m going to be the same Lindsey that I’ve always been but do whatever I possibly can to help this team lift the trophy at the end of the day and help the young ones that we have and a lot of the newer players that have never been here.”

Horan added “For me, coming into my own role and my own type of leader, I think we all have different variations of that,” Horan said. “And it’s important to learn from  Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe and everything they’ve done before this World Cup and before my time here. But also I want to make sure I have a role that I can fill on this team as well.”

She summed up her interview with these sentiments:

“The one thing Becky did tell me was to appreciate this moment, appreciate wearing the captain’s armband if I get the chance, appreciate being able to lead this team and take in every single bit of that because it does not come around a lot and you being able to have this role, it’s the most incredible thing in the world.”

Today, Horan put another feather in her patriotic tricorn hat.

In just a week and a half, co-captain Horan will proudly wear the Red, White, and Blue colors  before what is expected to be a massive crowd in Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand, when the Yank’s officially open their defense of the World Cup title. The U.S. kicks-off Group E play against Vietnam on July 22 in Auckland, New Zealand. Team USA will then travel 641.5 kilometers south to Wellington to take on the Netherlands on July 26th.

Their final match of group-stage play will be verse Portugal, again in center city Auckland on August 1.
Should the USA win Group E, it will face the second place team from Group G four days later.

Burgundy Wave will be on-site Down Under throughout the tournament providing coverage of Horan and her teammate, Sophie Smith, as they and the entire U.S  squad aim to win back-to-back Women’s World Cup tournaments.

Photo Credit: John Babiak.

Thank you for reading Burgundy Wave. If you want to support us, join our Patreon starting at $5/month.