Sydney Leroux gets mostly cheers, some boos, in return to Vancouver

VANCOUVER – The cheers far outweighed the boos, but for all those thrilled to see Sydney Leroux come into the game for the United States, there were a few that weren't sharing the positive outpouring.

The crowd Tuesday at B.C. Place in Vancouver, which included close to 50 of Leroux's close friends and family, was a sea of red, white, and blue, so it wasn't all too surprising that the stadium erupted when Leroux entered the game as a second half substitute in the 66th minute with the U.S. leading Nigeria 1-0.

She didn't waste any time making her presence felt, making a powerful run down the left flank less than two minutes after coming on that forced Nigerian defender Sarah Nnodim into a clumsy foul. Nnodim, already on a yellow card, was shown a second yellow and sent off, reducing Nigeria to 10 players. With Leroux driving play, the U.S. held on for the 1-0 win.

"It was awesome, to see my family and friends out there," said Leroux. "No boos, well, I actually heard that someone said 'oh, they were saying boo' but I was just thinking that they were saying 'Leroux'"

Leroux may not have heard the jeers, or she chose to ignore them, but a handful did manage to peek through. Leroux is a polarizing figure in Canadian soccer circles. Born and raised near Vancouver in Surrey, B.C., she left for the U.S. at 15 to pursue her dream of playing for the U.S. women's national team. She also held dual citizenship through her father, Ray Chadwick, a former pitcher for MLB's California Angels. Leroux's decision to turn her back on Canada drew much resentment across the country and she was infamously heckled during an Olympic qualifier in Vancouver back in 2012 as well as during a friendly match between the U.S. and Canada two years ago in Toronto.

Leroux, 25, is a dynamic attacker with flair, exactly the kind of player that could take this current Canadian side over the top. Instead, she plays for their biggest rival and plays very well.

Tuesday's win gave the U.S. top spot in Group D, which means they now travel to Edmonton for their first knockout stage game. If they win that one, then two more after, they'll return to Vancouver for the World Cup final on July 5. Odds are Leroux would be more than OK with that, regardless of the reception she receives.

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Israel Fehr is a writer for Yahoo Canada Sports. Email him at israelfehr@yahoo.ca or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr