USWNT captain and Lyon midfielder Lindsey Heaps says the NWSL salary cap may be to blame for some of America’s top players leaving the league for Europe.
A small wave of Americans left the NWSL for Europe this summer, highlighted by Naomi Girma who became the first million-dollar transfer in women’s soccer. Girma left the San Diego Wave for Chelsea for a world-record $1.1 million fee in January.
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Speaking ahead of Lyon’s Champions League semifinal clash with Arsenal, Heaps called the cap an “ongoing issue,” when asked why Americans are coming to Europe.
“There’s a salary cap in NWSL and I think that’s an ongoing issue there that hopefully can be changed or increased,” Heaps said at Lyon’s press conference. “It’s a factor in the NWSL and for players coming overseas.”
Heaps will square off against USWNT teammates Emily Fox and Jenna Nighswonger, both defenders on Arsenal, on Saturday. She described the matchup as “so cool, so exciting and also very special for me, because these moments don’t happen a lot.”
There are “a lot of things” that attract Americans to Europe, Heaps said. “You have two very, very good leagues. (When) you play a lot of time in the NWSL, like I did, I wanted a different challenge.
“It wasn’t anything against the NWSL, but I wanted to come play in Champions League again. I wanted to play for a big club like this. I think I just needed a different kind of challenge.
“Maybe that’s also what these players felt. Speaking with Nay [Naomi Girma], speaking with Jenna [Nighswonger], speaking with Foxy [Emily Fox], that’s what they need. That’s what they needed at the time.”
At their recent national team camp, Heaps said she teased Fox ahead of their Champions League clash. “I was giving Foxy [Emily Fox] as much crap as I possibly could and trying to just chip at her a little bit.”
She said it was “special” to see her U.S. teammate’s excelling in an environment like Arsenal’s. “To see [Fox] go and make that big move and play well and be a very impactful player for the team as well, I think that’s really special for me to see as a captain.
“I want all of my players to be doing well – just not this weekend, I hope.”
(Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
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