Jay Heaps

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 for the team in midfield and defense. In his second year, Heaps was named an MLS All-Star, while registering 5 goals and six assists for the Fusion in 29 starts. On June 20, 2001, Heaps was traded to the New England Revolution, along with a second-round pick in the 2003 MLS SuperDraft in exchange for defender Brian Dunseth and a first-round pick in the 2003 MLS SuperDraft. 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…

On November 14, 2011, Heaps was named as head coach of the New England Revolution, replacing former Revolution coach Steve Nicol whose contract was not renewed following the 2011 Major League Soccer season. Heaps recorded his first win as head coach on March 24, 2012, 1-0 over the Portland Timbers. That match also featured the first goal scored under Heaps' coaching tenure, scored by Saër Sène. In the 2012, 2013, and 2014 seasons, the results of this change appeared positive. After a year of rebuilding in 2012, Heaps led the Revolution back to the playoffs in 2013 - the team's first appearance in the MLS postseason since 2009. In 2014, the Revolution made it to the MLS Cup, narrowly losing to the LA Galaxy. However, in 2015, the team was eliminated from playoff contention in the knockout round, and in 2016, they failed to qualify entirely, but did make a run to the 2016 U.S. Open Cup final, ultimately losing 4-2 to F.C. Dallas in the final. In mid 2017, the team sat 10th out of 11 in the Eastern Conference, with SportsClubStats.com offering a 7% chance of the team making the playoffs. This led to speculation that Heaps is or should be facing removal as head coach. On September 18, it was reported that Heaps had been fired by the Revolution and that his spot would be filled in by assistant coach Tom Soehn.