TORONTO — Sydney Leroux showed some love for Toronto after an emotional 24 hours that saw the Canadian-born U.S. soccer international inflame passions with a cheeky goal celebration and a tweet about racial slurs.
But while calling the atmosphere at Sunday’s Canada-U.S. game in Toronto a “positive step forward for women’s soccer,” Leroux revealed she had been racially abused in her birthplace of Vancouver during last year’s Olympic qualifying tournament.
The Canadian Soccer Association, while adding its voice against racism, noted that no complaint was ever filed at the time. Leroux, U.S. Soccer said, had chosen to stay silent.
But Leroux’s open-ended tweet Monday opened up the issue.
“My tweet from this morning wasn’t in response to anything from yesterday’s match at BMO Field. In fact, the atmosphere at the stadium was a positive step forward for women’s soccer,” she said.
“Unfortunately, the type of abuse I have received in the past and via social media for my decision to play for the United States is a step backwards. That is what prompted my response in the heat of the moment.
“It is sad that people are inclined to write these incredibly negative comments, but I am not going to focus on them moving forward. Racism has no place in our beautiful game and we all need to come together to make sure no players are subjected to this kind of treatment in stadiums or on social media anywhere in the world. That said, the majority of fans have been extremely positive and I appreciate their support.”
The rising star, who was booed throughout Sunday’s match by the soldout crowd at BMO Field, scored the final goal in the 3-0 U.S. win.In celebrating her stoppage-time goal, she popped out her jersey to show the U.S. crest and put a finger to her mouth as if silencing the crowd.
On Monday morning, the 23-year-old — who was born in Vancouver to a Canadian mother and American father — took to Twitter to explain her actions.
“When you chant racial slurs, taunt me and talk about my family don’t be mad when I shush you and show pride in what I represent. #america,” Leroux tweeted.The timing of the tweet led many to assume that the racial slurs in question happened at the game in Toronto.
Not so, U.S. Soccer clarified later in the day after the story took off. Leroux’s tweet “was not in response to anything heard” at BMO Field, the U.S. governing body said in a statement.
U.S. Soccer said Leroux “has endured abuse both verbally and in social media,” since switching her international allegiance from Canada to the U.S. in 2008.
“The racial slurs to which she referred in the tweet occurred during the 2012 Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Vancouver in January of 2012 and revolved around her father, who is African-American,” said the statement. “At the time, she chose not to address them.
“Since the match (Sunday), she has received a significant number of tweets that contained racial slurs, and her tweet this morning was in response to the last year and half in which such abuse has occurred more frequently.Sunday’s game, a much anticipated rematch of last summer’s Olympic showdown won 4-3 by the Americans in controversial fashion after extra time, drew a BMO Field record crowd of 22,453.
Leroux drew boos and chants of “Judas” during the Olympic qualifying in Vancouver.
“I know that there are some people who don’t respect my decision,” Leroux said at the time. “And there are some people who do. And not everyone’s going to like you, and I feel like you have to have some enemies in life or else you’re not doing something right. I’m happy where I am.
“I’m happy to wear this jersey, and that’s how it is.”
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This is just a post letting everyone know that Sydney Leroux did NOT suffer racial abuse at the game on Sunday but that she was talking about a game that happened last year in Vancouver.