Sinead Farrelly retires, ending a career that's one of soccer's all-time comeback stories

An upcoming homecoming

The timing of Farrelly’s exit means she won’t get to play in what would have been her homecoming game with Gotham, July 28 against Washington at Subaru Park. It’s been 13 years since Farrelly played a playoff game for the Independence at the Union’s home, one of only a few games the women’s team played there.

She’ll still be there next month, as a Gotham fan, and she’s looking forward to it.

“I was definitely looking forward to that, just because I thought it would be such a cool opportunity and all of my friends and family could come,” Farrelly said. “The fact that I can still go and support my team in my home city is just so special to me. So I’m just happy that they’re doing it at Philly, and the people of Philly can come watch them play.”

There might have been some points in the past where Farrelly would be uncomfortable setting foot in Subaru Park again. But she said that won’t be the case now.

“I just feel like I have such an appreciation of the journey now, and I can anticipate that that’s what I’m going to feel,” she said. “And know that it has been such a journey to get back here, and to have soccer be what I always kind of knew it could be for me, and finish the way that I wanted it to finish and feel.”

She then added: “Maybe previously I would have entered and had unresolved feelings, or even negative feelings in some way, because of that time in my life. And now I can just hold everything with so much gratitude for the journey. So I’m really excited to go back there.”

The ‘bonus’ of a World Cup

It definitely has been a journey. Farrelly played for five teams in her first five years as a pro, including three coached by Riley, and missed the 2016 season after a horrific car crash. When she took the field for Gotham in March 2023, it was her first professional game since September 2015.

Now she has a mantle of good memories to savor, including that World Cup trip. Even though Ireland went winless down under, just being there was historic.

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