Utah Royals FC midfielder Mandy Laddish announced her retirement Monday, ending a National Women’s Soccer League career recently mired by injuries.
“A career that ends due to injury is nothing short of heartbreaking,” Laddish said in a club release. “I am not the first, and I won’t be the last. It is the nature of our sport and it is the risk we take in hopes of achieving our dreams. Although it’s ending sooner than I’d like, my career was nothing short of extraordinary and I loved every minute of it.”
Laddish returned to soccer in 2019 after not playing for more than two years due to multiple hip surgeries. She played 11 games and started nine last season, but was in and out of the lineup due to nagging injuries.
“This past season we were fortunate enough to watch her return to the pitch after over two years of batting back from multiple hip surgeries,” Royals general manager Stephanie Lee said of Laddish in a statement. “Her resilience to return was inspiring. We are grateful for the two years that she spent with us and wish her nothing but the best in the coming years.”
Laddish won back-to-back NWSL championships in 2014 and 2015 with now-defunct FC Kansas City.
Laddish is not the only Royals player to retire because of injury this offseason. Midfielder Erika Tymrak also ended her career in early January after seven years in soccer.
Additionally, the club announced that it has waived the rights to defender Becca Moros. In two seasons with Utah, Moros played in 30 games and started 29 of them. She played only eight in 2019 due to injuries.
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