College Heaps grew up in
Longmeadow, Massachusetts, and graduated from
Longmeadow High School. He played
college soccer for the
Duke University Blue Devils from 1995 to 1998. He was named first team All-ACC all four of his years, was a three-time finalist for the
Hermann Award, and as a senior was awarded the
Hermann Trophy by the
Missouri Athletic Club, marking him as the nation's top college player. During his four years at Duke, he had 45 goals and 37 assists across 83 appearances. Additionally, Heaps played for the
Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team under
Mike Krzyzewski from 1996 to 1999. He appeared in 27 games and played 68 minutes total.
Professional After graduating from Duke, Heaps was drafted second overall in the
1999 MLS College Draft by
Miami Fusion, and was named
MLS Rookie of the Year after playing 2511 minutes He made his Revolution debut the same day, coming on as a 46th-minute substitute for
Matt Okoh in a 3-3 overtime draw against the
Colorado Rapids. Heaps made his first Revolution start on July 4, 2001, in a 1-1 draw against the
Dallas Burn, and his home debut three days later, on July 7, in a 2-1 loss to the
Kansas City Wizards. Heaps went on to become a mainstay in the Revolution backline over the next seven seasons, leading the team in minutes played and matches started in both
2003 and
2008, and the
2008 North American SuperLiga, though he missed the final due to a red card in the semifinal. In the
2006 MLS Cup Championship, his
penalty kick was saved by
Pat Onstad, winning the championship for the opposing
Houston Dynamo. In
2009, Heaps was named Revolution team Defender of the Year. In total, Heaps appeared in 304 MLS matches, and retired holding the Revolution team records for games played, games started, and minutes played, ranking in the top 10 in league history in those categories. In November 2011, Heaps was inducted into the New England Soccer Hall of Fame.
International As of February 2009, Heaps had played more MLS matches (289) than any other American player who had not received a
cap for the
United States. On June 25, 2009, Heaps received his first call-up for the
United States for the
2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup. On July 11, 2009, Heaps made his debut with the
United States against
Haiti.
Post-playing career After announcing his retirement from professional soccer, Heaps joined
Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management, providing customized investment advice and portfolio management for ultra
high-net-worth individuals. In 2010, Heaps became the
color commentator for the New England Revolution games on
Comcast SportsNet New England, alongside
Brad Feldman. In 2018, Heaps was announced as the first president and general manager of the expansion USL club
Birmingham Legion FC in Birmingham, AL. ==Coaching career==