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SANDY — It was supposed to be a normal surgery, with a typical recovery time, and a traditional layoff from her professional soccer career.
At least, that’s what Mandy Laddish thought just before she was set to go under the knife for surgery on her injured hip: a few days of non-weight-bearing activity, plus three months of mild to moderate to full activity, and she’d be back kicking a ball.
"Right before surgery, they told me it was two months on crutches and six-eight months until I could play," Laddish recalled during an episode of Utah Royals FC’s self-produced Rise Up To Royalty series on YouTube. "Initially, that was devastating."
Then the 5-foot-7 midfielder, who at the time played for FC Kansas City in the National Women’s Soccer League, started that "six or eight-month" recovery process.
And things didn’t go well. More pain here. A setback there.
Laddish missed the entire 2017 season, the last one in franchise history for Kansas City, and her player rights were transferred to Utah Royals FC.
But the thought entered her mind: Was Laddish’s career over? And if it was, what was she now — an ex-soccer player?
"Ultimately, I think she got used to feeling like she might never be the same," said defender Becca Moros, who played with Laddish in Kansas City and now in Utah. "She was in a lot of real pain, and her hip wasn’t healthy."
After missing the entire expansion season of 2018 while recovering from that hip injury, Laddish kept grinding. Regular trips to her physical therapist Collin Bywaters. Practice sessions with the team; even if she was not a full participant, she showed up, hung out, ran laps around the perimeter of America First Field in Sandy, when available.
Eventually, it would all pay off. At least, she hoped it would.
And eventually, it did. Laddish made her Utah Royals debut April 20, 2019, and gradually increased her workload.
By the time midfielder Desiree Scott and forward Diana Matheson were called into camp with the Canadian women’s national team before this summer’s World Cup in France, Laddish was ready. She started her first game last Saturday, a 2-1 loss to the league-leading Houston Dash, and played nearly 70 minutes before being replaced by teammate Erika Tymrak.
"I kind of knew that once Desi left, I would need to step up and play a big role for the team," Laddish admitted. "It wasn’t really a shock that I was starting."
Best of all, the pain was gone.
And not a moment too soon.
Rachel Corsie's call to represent the Scottish national team at her first-ever World Cup marks the seventh player on the Utah Royals FC roster to be called away for international duty this summer. That will leave the Royals with a significant void on the roster — a bigger hole than any other team in the league, quite frankly.
Becky Sauerbrunn, Christen Press, Kelley O'Hara, Katie Bowen, Scott, Matheson, and Corsie. All of them will need to be replaced.
Finally, after two years away from a soccer pitch, Laddish is prepared to help fill that void.
"I finally feel like I can look past this injury," Laddish said. "Now I can focus on being the best I can be for my teammates."
It's a good time to be back, too. The Royals (3-1-0, 9 points) are second in the league, just one point behind the Dash with a game in hand, and own a one-point advantage on Chicago, North Carolina and Portland after the first full month of the season.
They'll play their second road match of the year Sunday, May 19 against the Courage (2-1-2, 8 points), a team that won last year's NWSL championship but went just 0-1-2 against Utah in the latter’s expansion season.
"We're not going to worry about Houston anymore," Utah midfielder Lo'eau LaBonta said. "We’re going to worry about North Carolina, about getting another clean sheet, and hopefully get a win."
Laddish plans to make her presence known more, too.
"My injury will still be a big part of my life," she said, "but I hope it's something I can put in the past and move on from."
Utah Royals FC (3-1-0) at North Carolina Courage (2-1-1)
When: Sunday, May 19 at 3 p.m. MT
TV: KMYU
Streaming: KSL.com
