Lindsey Horan will not play for the U.S. women’s national team in its second friendly against New Zealand, set to kick off at 10 p.m. ET Friday.
The 28-year-old midfielder, who has been a mainstay in coach Vlatko Andonovski’s starting lineup, returned to her club team, Olympique Lyonnais, after Wednesday’s 4-0 win against the Football Ferns.
With no FIFA international match window set for January, club teams were not required to release players for national team duties.
The USWNT arranged with Lyon to allow Horan to play in the first friendly in New Zealand before she traveled back to France for her club’s Division 1 Féminine match against Montpellier on Saturday.
Safe travels, @LindseyHoran! Per an agreement made before this trip between U.S. Soccer and @OLfeminin, Lindsey Horan has returned to France for the club’s upcoming match against Montpellier and will not be available for the #USWNT’s second match vs. the Football Ferns. pic.twitter.com/BraXuK9Sg1— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) January 19, 2023
Safe travels, @LindseyHoran! Per an agreement made before this trip between U.S. Soccer and @OLfeminin, Lindsey Horan has returned to France for the club’s upcoming match against Montpellier and will not be available for the #USWNT’s second match vs. the Football Ferns. pic.twitter.com/BraXuK9Sg1
Horan was the only player on the USWNT roster for the New Zealand friendlies to play in a league other than the U.S.-based NWSL. As the NWSL season runs from March through November, all of the other players were available for both matches.
With many other domestic leagues playing through January, though, New Zealand is short-handed, with 13 of the Football Ferns’ regulars remaining with their clubs.
In the first game against New Zealand, Horan played all 90 minutes.
In 122 career appearances for the USWNT, the midfielder has 26 goals and 33 assists. She was a member of the 2019 World Cup squad, and she figures to play a key role in the lineup for this year’s tournament in Australia and New Zealand.