Sydney Leroux Celebrates World Cup Win At Home
Since she was born in Surrey, B.C, Sydney Leroux is the only player in the US women’s national football team to have won the Women’s World Cup at home. The 25-year-old forward lifted the trophy together with her teammates after they defeated Japan, 5-2, in the final.
While she played in four of the seven games of the US team at the tournament, she did not play in the final. She was fielded during stoppage time in the semifinal game of the US against Germany. Leroux said she “could not be happier" after the game. She added that she could not stop crying since it was something she “gave up a long time ago.”
Many of the family members and friends of Sydney Leroux watched the game on Sunday, similar to her first game in Vancouver during the final group stage game of the US against Nigeria. She spent a few minutes with her mother, Sandi, after the final whistle was blown. Sandi was a member of the national softball team of Canada in the 80s.
Leroux said she hugged her mom and told her they did it. She added that there was no better feeling to being a world champion after the way she grew up and where she grew up.
She did not think about the criticisms she received in the past coming from a number of Canadian fans. Leroux played for the U-19 team of Canada when she was still 14 years old. However, she suited up for the US team when she became eligible through her father, Ray Chadwick. Chadwick was a baseball pitcher in the majors. When she turned 15, she moved to the US and switched to the US program in 2008. Leroux has continuously said her lifelong dream is to represent the United States.
Leroux said she knows her decision was right. While a number of positive developments have occurred in Canada Soccer, she said she will never change her decision. She made the decision while she was very young and she already knew she wanted to become a part of the US Team. Sydney Leroux added that she wanted to play for the best team in the world and they proved it during the Women’s World Cup Final.