Angel City FC forward Sydney Leroux teased a return to the field in a social media post on Tuesday after missing all of last year with an excused absence.
“This comeback is for you,” Leroux wrote on social media, referring to those who supported her over the past year. “I’ll see you soon.”
Last year, Leroux announced just one day before Angel City’s season-opener that she would “step away from soccer for my mental health.” She insisted at the time that she would be back.
Leroux, who turns 36 in May, has played in the NWSL since its inception in 2013, and for Angel City since the summer of 2022.
She was part of the United States’ 2015 World Cup-winning team and has made 77 appearances for the senior national team.
In her Instagram post on Tuesday, Leroux did not share specifics about why she sat out the 2025 NWSL season.
“The hardest year of my life,” Leroux wrote. “Heartbreaking, isolating and devastating. A year that will stay with me forever. A year that changed me.”
She continued: “I fought and I clawed my way through everything that should have broken me. For that, I am forever grateful to everyone who gave me love, grace, patience and support.”
When reached for comment, an Angel City spokesperson did not provide further details about Leroux’s comeback or status on the roster.
Leroux was still listed as an excused absence when Angel City announced its preseason roster in January. She is signed through 2027 with the club.
Angel City FC opens its 2026 season on March 15 at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles against the Chicago Stars.
The team will be without retired veterans Christen Press and Ali Riley for the first time. Both players were some of the first Angel City signed ahead of its 2022 expansion season. They retired at the end of 2025.
