Sinead Farrelly’s “surreal” return to soccer took another twist Friday, as she will start for the Ireland women’s national team in Saturday’s friendly against the USWNT.
Just last week, the 33-year-old midfielder played in her first NWSL match since 2015. She had left the sport after experiencing sexual abuse at the hands of her coach, but she went public with her story in 2021, prompting major investigations into the league.
Farrelly returned this year, joining Gotham FC for the preseason as a non-roster invitee before singing a contract for the 2023 season. She made her debut in the club’s most recent match against OL Reign, and she slipped “seamlessly” into the flow of the game, her teammate Lynn Williams said.
While the match ended in a 2-0 loss, Farrelly made an immediate impact when she entered in the 70th minute, bringing “a lot of control to the midfield,” Williams said on the latest episode of Snacks. And she does the same day in and day out.
“Every day when I see her at training, she’s so technically good that half the time I’m like, ‘Sinead, give me the ball.’ If I’m defending her, I’m like, ‘Just give it to me!’ But I can’t get it off her,” Williams said.
Now Farrelly can show her skills on the international stage, as she joins Ireland for its pair of friendlies against the USWNT, starting with the first at 2:30 p.m. ET Saturday.
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