Sydney Leroux Dwyer's comeback after giving birth will have to be put off due to her team, the Orlando Pride, having to pull out of the NWSL's Challenge Cup due to a COVID-19 outbreak. SIPA USA

Sydney Leroux Dwyer commits herself to soccer after Orlando Pride miss NWSL Challenge Cup

By Zac Wassink | Last updated Jun 26, 2020 6:48 PM ET

The 2020 National Women's Soccer League season was meant to be a comeback story for United States Women's National Team star Sydney Leroux Dwyer after she gave birth in June 2019.

Instead, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic postponed the start of the campaign, which instead gets underway this weekend with the Challenge Cup.

Unfortunately for Leroux, the 30-year-old won't participate in that competition after Orlando Pride, her club employer, withdrew from the tournament due to an assumed COVID-19 outbreak.

Leroux voiced her displeasure with the situation via Twitter before suggesting in a Friday Instagram post that she'll be back:

I’m heartbroken. The majority of our team & staff worked our asses off to put us in the best position to play the game we love again. Not just for ourselves but for our families, friends, fans & our city. Good luck to the teams going to UT. Wish we were there with you. Stay safe.
— Sydney Leroux Dwyer (@sydneyleroux) June 22, 2020

View this post on Instagram

This year has been hard but I’ve learned sooo many things. I’ve cried A LOT. But I’ve also smiled and laughed and loved. I didn’t know what this year would feel like in regards to coming back and playing soccer. Can I still do this? Do I still want to do this? I had a lot of questions. But through all of this I got to answer those for myself. Yes, I can still do this and yes - I love this game more than ever. So thank you. Even if it was short lived it brought me clarity. So I’ll see you soon.

A post shared by Sydney Leroux Dwyer (@sydneyleroux) on Jun 26, 2020 at 1:13pm PDT

Leroux wrote:

"This year has been hard but I’ve learned sooo many things. I’ve cried A LOT. But I’ve also smiled and laughed and loved. I didn’t know what this year would feel like in regards to coming back and playing soccer. Can I still do this? Do I still want to do this? I had a lot of questions. But through all of this I got to answer those for myself. Yes, I can still do this and yes - I love this game more than ever. So thank you. Even if it was short lived it brought me clarity. So I’ll see you soon."

Zac Wassink

Zac Wassink is a longtime sports news writer and PFWA member who began his career in 2006 and has had his work featured on Yardbarker, MSN, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. He is also a football and futbol aficionado who is probably yelling about Tottenham Hotspur at the moment and who chanted for Matt Harvey to start the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field. You can find him on X at @ZacWassink

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