Four years ago, Josée Bélanger was on the verge of retirement, nursing an ankle injury while she coached youth soccer in Quebec.
Four days ago, she arrived in Orlando to join the Pride for the 2016 National Women's Soccer League season. Bélanger, 29, ran onto the field in purple for the first time Wednesday, subbing on in the 61st minute during a preseason match against the Florida Gators.
"I was coaching little girls, and I realized I was a [role] model for them," Bélanger said after the Pride's training session Friday. "And in the bottom of my heart, I thought that was not the model I wanted them to look at, the person who didn't achieve what they wanted to achieve.