The Bay Area has always held a special place in Leslie Osborne's heart. For this Milwaukee, Wisconsin native, it was there where she embarked on an incredible collegiate soccer career and fulfilled her lifelong dreams of playing professionally. It was a place that—as she highlights—"opened the gates" to the world; and one she was determined to build with and give back to in the years to come. She did just that. Leslie joined forces in 2020 with U.S. Women’s National Team legends Brandi Chastain, Aly Wagner, and Danielle Slaton to bring the first NWSL club to the Bay Area. In April of 2023, Bay FC was officially established. They haven't looked back since. Currently playing their inaugural season in the NWSL, Leslie is beyond excited for what’s in store for Bay FC. Driven by the club's pillars of being player-centric and fan-focused, she is eager to continue working with players, sponsors, brands, and communities in the Bay Area to grow the club further both on and off the pitch.
Let’s start with your journey early on! You had an incredible collegiate career at Santa Clara University. From winning a championship as a freshman to playing for Team USA throughout your collegiate career to being the recipient of the Honda Sports Award for women's soccer as a senior. What did achieving those milestones and earning those honors mean to you?
They mean a lot. But, I would say the best part about that was just the journey. Coming out here to Northern California—the Bay Area—and playing for my dream school, I learned so much from my teammates that were incredible and my college coach, Jerry Smith, who is still a mentor to me to this day. I think the impact that this community and ecosystem at Santa Clara University had on me, both as a player and as a person, means the world to me. I'm so grateful that I had the opportunity to get exposed to the Bay Area and to feel like I'm part of a family and community here. My time at Santa Clara was very special. I think it's a storybook picture where you come in and you win a national championship as a freshman. That set the tone for me in my collegiate career. We went to the Final Four three out of my four years, so I had a great college career. I'm so grateful for that experience I had as a freshman (though) because that set the standard for me in terms of excellence—how I carried myself as a leader and, as a player, it inspired me to get better. It inspired me to want to go play on the U.S. team. I was surrounded by so many great players, role models, and coaches. I look back to that time and (realize) now that that was really an inflection point for me in my soccer playing journey and what I was gonna go on and do post-playing too.
You then took that next step and started your professional career. How was that transition from college into the world of professional soccer like for you?
I actually was fortunate enough to graduate from college and play for the U.S. women's national team immediately. There was no professional league at the time, so I didn't get drafted because there was no draft. There was no league to play in. I'm grateful that I had the opportunity to play for the U.S. women’s national team. I moved down to LA. I played my first year and then a second year in that team with some of my role models: Brandi Chastain, Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, Kristine Lilly. That's when my professional career began. To play with your role models as a kid, and then all of a sudden be in the locker room with them, that is something that you dream of. It's hard to even compare any other situation in life like that. The expectation is so, so high—higher than it was even in college. I think that Santa Clara did an amazing job in their program to make that transition smoother for me because yes it was a transition to go on and play professionally; but I think that it prepared me the best it could because I was around so many incredible players. I was in a very competitive landscape every day, and I was playing on one of the best collegiate teams in the country. I was being exposed to the game at such a high level, but there's nothing like the professional level. I think that there always is going to be an adjustment but, because I had the experience I did at Santa Clara, it made it a little bit easier for me to transition into playing women's professional soccer.
Throughout your pro career, you played for FC Gold Pride, the Boston Breakers, the Chicago Red Stars, and also played abroad in Germany. Tell us a little bit more about your professional journey in the space. What was that experience like for you?
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