Sunday Night Soccer is back! Under the California sun at the Venice Beach Boardwalk, Olympic gold medalist and FIFA Women’s World Cup champion Sydney Leroux and Cobi Jones helped kick off MLS’s new Sunday Night Soccer mobile fan activation. Designed to bring matchday energy directly to fans, the activation set the tone for MLS’s new campaign, Sundays Are Made for This, which officially kicked off February 22 with NYCFC vs. LA Galaxy.
HOLA! got the chance to talk to the UCLA alum and current forward for Angel City FC, where she reflected on her career and how far women’s soccer has come. In 2010, the LA Sol was the last professional women’s soccer team in the city before Angel City FC debuted in 2022. The team folded due to a lack of investment. We asked Leroux what feels different with the success of Angel City. “I think Angel City has really shown what women’s soccer can look like,” she said. “You know, the Sol – the investment was down. But now, right now, it’s all about women’s sports, women’s soccer. And I feel like everyone wants to invest in us because it’s really exciting.”
That fight for recognition, for protection, and equality, is something women like Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan took to the courts. In 2019, players filed a gender discrimination lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, which settled for $24 million, and a pledge from the soccer federation to equalize pay for the men’s and women’s national teams. “We’ve fought a lot, and I’m so proud of that fight,” she said. “I’m proud to have been a part of it, and there’s still a lot to go. I’m really fighting for better things for motherhood in women’s sports, and I think that’s important because we’re women and we’re able to birth babies, destroy our bodies, and rebuild them, and I think that that’s something that we should celebrate.”
© GettyWhen it comes to the men’s side of the sport, when we asked Leroux what she thought they could learn from the women, she replied, “I think men’s football can learn how to play an honest soccer game,” she said. “There’s a lot of flopping around. We take hits, and we keep rolling. I’d like to see more of that instead of waiting for the foul.”
While men and women both experience injuries and the challenges of returning to the pitch, one thing men will never experience is pregnancy. We asked Leroux, who is a mother of 2, what was tougher. “Coming back from pregnancy was really tough,” she said. “Because you’ve never seen your body like that, you know? And you’re like, ‘Oh my goodness, am I going to feel like this gummy for the rest of my life?’”
Still, she framed the comeback, alongside her return from major injuries, as something deeply empowering. “It was so exciting to come back from both injury and pregnancy because I think that shows resiliency,” she said. “It shows how amazing women’s bodies are. And yeah, I’m just so thankful to be able to share that with my kids.”
© GettyHer son Cassius, in particular, is already part of the soccer world and looks like a mini prodigy in the clips she shares to Instagram. According to Leroux, he’s very much his own player. “He’s different,” she said with a smile. “I feel like Cassius is more technical. I understand the game more, obviously, because I’m older, but I try to teach him the runs, where he should be in moments.”
Asked to imagine the ultimate version of herself by borrowing traits from other players, Leroux leaned into the fun of it. “First touch — I’m taking Hina Sugita’s,” she said. “I mean, I think Hina is amazing. I’m really excited to play with her at Angel City.” Speed came next. “I’d take Giselle’s [Thompson]. She’s young, active… I’m not as fast as I used to be.” And when it came to soccer IQ? “Probably Sam Coffey.”
Off the field, Leroux’s personality shines just as brightly, especially online, where her humor has become part of her connection with fans. She has over 1 million followers on Instagram, where she shares hilarious posts. Since 2018, on International Women’s Day, for example, she scribbles out her son Cassius face from the post.
When we asked where that humor comes from, she replied, “I think it’s being authentic.” “I really pride myself on being authentic. And I think my authenticity shows that I’m a real person. It’s not so serious all the time.” She added, “Things go wrong, and being able to show that and have a laugh about it is really important to me – to connect with fans and people in general.”
© GettyAs for what’s next when Leroux’s contract ends in 2027, she said helping coach her son’s team has made her have a different outlook on the idea. “I’m really enjoying that. I never thought I would be a coach, but like, I think I have a good balance of being hard, but also making it light. Let it be funny, you know, we make mistakes. That was hilarious, but like, can we regroup? Can we get back to playing our kind of soccer?”
The 2026 MLS regular season, featuring “Apple TV’s Sunday Night Soccer,” runs through November 2026, with a break for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
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