"I didn't feel like me anymore"- Sydney Leroux makes emotional mental health confession days after announcing her break

Canadian-American soccer player, Sydney Leroux, opened up about her mental health struggles in her latest update. The athlete recently announced that she will be taking some time off from soccer.

Leroux is a forward, representing the Angel City FC in the National Women's Soccer League, and has had a prominent career in the sport. She was picked up in the women's professional soccer 2012 draft by the Atlanta Beat as the first overall. In her collegiate days, the American competed for the UCLA Bruins.

She recently announced that she would be taking a break from soccer, citing her mental health. Shortly after this, she shared another message on her social media, opening up about her mental health struggles. She revealed that she should have taken some decisions earlier than she did. She also reflected on her ideal handling of tough situations, such as serious injuries and mental health challenges, noting this strength shaped her personality.

However, this time she couldn't push through and had to take a step back from the sport. She opened up about her situation by sharing a video on her Instagram handle, where she said:

"Mental health is not easy to talk about but I had a lot on my plate and I didn't ask for help because I never do. I've always believed that I could do it all and I can push through. And that's how I've survived and how I've succeeded. But I've realized, like, just because you can carry the weight doesn't mean it's not too heavy. And it was fucking heavy," said Sydney Leroux.

She added:

"I should have stepped back sooner, but I really like didn't know how because I'm like, well, you've played through a broken ankle and broken ribs and you came back so early after having a baby. And I'm like, you can push your body and your mind so far. And now I understand that sometimes in my life, it was further than I should have. But that grit is what made me me. And eventually, I didn't feel like me anymore."

She further also said that it has been weird for her to step back, but she is fine with it and also shared some advice for others, stating that 'it's ok to be honest with yourself.'

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Sydney Leroux opened up about her career-defining moment

Sydney Leroux appeared in an interview with "USA Today Sports,' where she spoke to Mackenzie Salmon about the initial moments of her career. She opened up about how she moved to another country when she was just 14 to pursue a career in soccer. Leroux said that this was a turning point for her and exuded pride in looking back at her story. (0:26 onwards)

“I think when I was 14, I moved here from Canada to Arizona by myself because I wanted to play on the best team in the world, which was of course the US Women's National Team and I basically, from that day forward, gave everything that I possibly could to be able to chase my dreams," Sydney Leroux said.

She added:

"I knew what I wanted to do and so that was probably my turning point because it had to be. I just gave up everything to like chase this dream and so it's really cool looking back at my story... and now I get to look back at my career and be proud of it.”

Sydney Leroux has two children, son Cassius Cruz Dwyer and daughter Roux James Dwyer, and she gave birth to them with her ex-husband, MLS player Dom Dwyer. The soccer player recently signed a three-year contract with Angel City FC through 2027.