American Sydney Leroux

In the world of women’s soccer, there is an aspect at play that is an interesting conundrum. When the players in the women’s game decide to put their focus away from the pitch and into the growth of their own family, the player accepts (at least) a nine-month layoff. For Sydney Leroux and Dom Dwyer, the internet has been reveling in their news that the soccer power-couple is expecting their first-born child.

As a father of the best (without a doubt) one-year old in the world, I wish nothing but the best for the Dwyer-Leroux family and know that this will be one the greatest moments in the parent’s lives.

As a fan of great soccer, it presents a few interesting situations. As I mentioned, starting a family is an incredible experience and something that should only be met with congratulations, but Leroux is risking a lot by choosing the midst of her career (and, quite possibly, a year in her prime) to bring forth the first baby in the player’s relatively young marriage.

Right off the bat, Leroux is going to miss out on the Olympics this summer. In a squad like the USWNT that will be looking to see what their best options are post-Wambach, this summer would be a perfect opportunity for Sydney to firmly place herself behind Alex Morgan. Not to mention that Leroux’s preferred wing (on the left) will be vacant because of the injury to Megan Rapinoe, and you have a perfect chance to become a core member of the USWNT’s future. Leroux will probably be quickly ushered back into the fold once she returns (simply because of her skill level), but there are only so many chances to establish yourself in the starting eleven.

For Leroux’s club, Kansas City’s team in the NWSL (only a few months removed from a championship) has been placed in an awkward position. After losing some stars to retirement and then trading away some sizable assets to bring Leroux in from the WNY Flash, Leroux will be a total non-factor this season. Considering the player has announced a due date in September, we wonder if Leroux informed her new club of the possibility of being pregnant. In such a young league, this could have been KCFC’s year to firmly establish themselves as the first dynasty in the NWSL…and who knows how quickly the winds can change in such a young league.

Leroux is only 25 and will have plenty of time to re-establish herself as a dominant force in the women’s game, but she was already suffering from merely attempting to be a striker in the era of Alex Morgan. The next few months will be full of joy for Leroux and all of those close to her, but we are quite curious to see how this effects the future of one of the best and most promising attackers in the women’s game. Congrats Sydney! We hope you’re back at the top of the heap soon!

 

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