LOS ANGELES– 520 days after announcing she was taking a mental health break from the game, Sydney Leroux has officially returned with the Angel City Football Club.
The veteran forward checked into Angel City’s match against the Washington Spirit during the 92nd minute before a cheering crowd of 18,089 at BMO Stadium Sunday night.
"It's fantastic to have Syd back. She's been training with us for weeks. It was the first game she was available, and it was a game where we could use her strength, which I see in the box," said ACFC interim Head Coach Leif Smerud.
"She's obviously been out a long time, and when she now comes back, it's important that we also play to her strengths and have some patience. She came on, and we wanted her in the box, where I've seen her in training. She can still score goals and do well. I'm very happy for Syd."
Angel City announced the veteran forward had been officially activated to the roster ahead of the match. In March, Leroux had posted photos of her on the field during team practices.
Before Sunday night, Leroux last appeared with the team on November 1, 2024, against the Portland Thorns, and her last goal came during ACFC’s 1-1 draw against the Utah Royals on October 20, 2024.
It was a long 654 days without @Sydney Leroux... so happy to have our girl back 🫶 pic.twitter.com/zXNbi8GCbD
— Angel City FC (@weareangelcity) August 17, 2026
Leroux's presence has remained strong in the locker room and on the training grounds.
“It's great to have Syd back on the field. She is an absolutely incredible person and player, and it's just been incredible to watch her journey,” said Angel City defender Savy King.
“We've been training a lot as we both made our way back onto the field, so she's seen a huge part of my recovery as well,” added King. “It's just awesome to see her back out there. She deserves every minute of it…just really excited to see everything that she does for this team in the future.”
Leroux arrived at BMO Stadium dressed as Maleficent for the Disney princess-themed match night with her two children beside her.
The most Sydney Leroux way to do Disney Princess Night 🤣 pic.twitter.com/YchPBApjub
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 17, 2026
Navigating mental health and sport
On March 15, 2025, one day before Angel City's season opener last season, Leroux shared she had decided to “step away from soccer for my mental health,” but stated she would eventually return.
Under the most recent National Women's Soccer League Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which runs through 2030, player mental health benefits were expanded. ESPN reported that the 2024 CBA expanded the scope of mental health professionals who could make the recommendation the league requires for players to take mental leave. The maximum term of a player's mental leave remained the same: whichever is shorter, six months or the remainder of their contract, and guarantees protection of a player's full salary and job security.
Leroux missed the entirety of the 2025 season with an excused absence and the first part of the 2026 season.
“I'll be honest… this past year was hell. The hardest year of my life. Heartbreaking, isolating and devastating. A year that will stay with me forever,” Leroux shared in an Instagram post in March. “A year that changed me. I’ve shared wins and losses, grief and joy, the humor and chaos of motherhood, moments that make life messy and beautiful.”
Leroux's leave sparked conversations about mental health throughout the league. Eight months after her leave was announced, she spoke about the realities of navigating eating disorders. In November 2025, Leroux posted a video to social media sharing she had been diagnosed with anorexia, a disorder she had been “living with for as long as she could remember.
“I refuse to let my fear continue to keep me quiet. We need to talk about the things we've avoided for way too long,” said Leroux. “I'm speaking up, hoping it opens the door to safer, more honest dialogue around eating disorders in women's sports, because silence never saved anyone.”
"My story is just one of many. It's what we hide from, feel ashamed of, and completely avoid,” he wrote in the caption of the post. “Research shows that 1 in 5 female athletes show signs of disordered eating, and in high-pressure sports the rates can hit 40% or more. Eating disorders don't disappear because we stay silent. They thrive in it.”
Since sharing her story, Leroux has received support from across the sporting community and has advocated for mental health awareness.
The 36-year-old has been with the Angel City Football Club since June of 2022 after being acquired in a trade from the Orlando Pride. In October 2024, she signed a contract extension with the Los Angeles side through 2027. In 2023 and 2024, Leroux scored 10 goals and remains fourth on Angel City's all-time leading scorer list. Leroux has played for the NWSL since its inception in 2013.
On the international level, Leroux has represented the U.S. Women's National Team 77 times throughout her career. The Canadian-born player moved to the U.S. as a teenager and chose to represent the U.S. She was on the USWNT roster for the 2015 FIFA World Cup win in Canada. Between 2012 and 2017, Leroux netted 35 goals.
Angel City faces Gotham FC on August 23 at BMO Stadium. Leroux is expected to be available to play for the remainder of the season.