“She’s a hell of a player… the kind of player that we’ll face during the Olympics,” That’s how Megan Rapinoe described Lindsey Horan in 2012, after the youngster delivered an impressive performance for Colorado Rush in a USL W-League game – Horan scored a crucial goal against the Seattle Sounders. Praise like that, coming from an opponent—especially one eight years her senior—was no small thing. Little did anyone know, it was just a sign for Horan that she still had a lot of greatness to chase with her hometown team. But after only three games, she took a leap into the unknown—moving to France.

At just 18, she signed with Paris Saint-Germain—a challenge that was anything but easy. “It was obviously more difficult,” stated Horan while speaking to her former teammate and host of the podcast show, The Conversation, Jordan Angeli. Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it? A new place, a new culture, a new language—it’s the kind of change no ordinary teenager was used to handling, especially back then.

Horan recalled how her mother had flown with her to France and helped her get settled during those first few days. For about 10 days, she stayed in a house where other players were supposed to move in, and at the time, her mom seemed confident about the setup. But when it was time to leave, Horan knew just how hard it was for her mom.

“I know it was so difficult for her,” she shared. Reflecting on the moment, she added, “I cannot imagine parents sending their 18-year-old daughter overseas to a new country and just hoping that—‘see you later.’ It’s like, they had to go work.” As if, thinking this wasn’t wild enough for Lindsey, she was forced to move out of the house, the very same day her mother left.

Instead, the Colorado native was instructed to share an apartment with a German player called Anika Kron—who apparently, was 10 years older than her. However, even there, Horan couldn’t get the veteran’s company at the beginning as Kron had to fly back to her nation for international duty.

Unfortunately, misery didn’t end there for Horan. She moved into an apartment that literally didn’t even have proper bedding, let alone other facilities like Wi-Fi. She was compelled to sleep on towels, with only one thought running through her mind: “Oh my god, what am I going to do?… What did I just do?”

Then again, little did Horan know that it was exactly these kinds of challenges that would shape her journey and lead her to where she is today.

Lindsey Horan is grateful for endearing tough challenges!

Spending that night while lying on a bare towel, Lindsey Horan was subtly questioning her choice of leaving the US too soon and staying alone abroad. On top of that, even if she did come, her accommodation made her more frustrated. She went to the McDonald’s across the street, called her mom, and said in distress, “I don’t know if I can do this,” while bawling her eyes out.

However, whenever she looks back at those days, it only reminds Lindsey of how crucial these challenges were. “That kind of puts into perspective how difficult those first few months were. But obviously, no regrets or anything—there were just moments like that, especially during those first six months,” concluded Horan.

Honestly, that’s exactly the kind of mentality every rising talent should aspire to have. Just look at Lindsey Horan—once a teenager struggling to adjust in France, she now proudly wears the captain’s armband for the U.S. Women’s National Team. Beyond her international leadership, Horan has built an impressive club career.

With Portland Thorns, she won the 2017 NWSL Championship, along with the Shield (2016, 2021), Community Shield (2020), Challenge Cup (2021), and the Women’s International Champions Cup (2021). A similar status was achieved with French giants OL Lyonnes, winning 4x Division 1 Féminine title, the 2021 UEFA Women’s Champions League trophy, and domestic honors like the Trophée des Champion, Coupe de France Féminine, and another WICC title, all alone in 2022. 

It indeed was a challenging journey for Lindsey Horan. But in the end, it was all worth it. Don’t you think?