‘I didn’t know if I’d wear this jersey again’ – Leroux emotional after scoring on injury return

Leroux scored just 12 minutes into her first appearance in nearly a year

An emotional Sydney Leroux admitted she wasn’t sure if she would ever play for Angel City FC again after she marked her return from injury with a goal.

Leroux was traded to Angel City last summer but made just three appearances for the club before suffering an ankle injury that kept her out for nearly a year.

The striker finally made her return to the pitch against the Chicago Red Stars on Monday night, coming on as a 76th-minute substitute with her team down 2-0. Just 12 minutes later, she got on the end of an Alyssa Thompson cross to halve the deficit in an eventual 2-1 defeat.

It was Leroux’s 40th career NWSL goal, and it made her only the third player in league history to score for six different teams

Speaking to CBS after the game, the 33-year-old held back tears as she admitted she was unsure if she’d be able to return to the pitch.

“Obviously it’s been super emotional,” she said. “I didn’t know if I was going to put on this jersey again. So it was really cool to get out there and score.”

Asked what she was thinking when Thompson got on the ball, Leroux said: “That it’s going to get to me somehow and that I’m going to get there first.”

“I think I owe a lot to the fans,” she added. “I came here last year and I was supposed to make a difference. And I could only play like a game and a half. And so I’m just happy that I could show up today as much as I possibly could.”

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