After 10 months and 13 days of waiting and intense rehab, Chicago Fire midfielder Michael de Leeuw made a long-awaited return to the Toyota Park pitch on Saturday night.
The Dutchman -- affectionately known as "The Lion" -- entered Saturday's match against the New York Red Bulls as a second half substitution for forward Luis Solignac, taking the field for the first time since suffering a ruptured left anterior-cruciate ligament in a home match against New York City FC on Sept. 30 of last year.
"It felt great that moment to step on the field again and just get those minutes," de Leeuw said. "This is what I worked towards for ten months, finally the moment was there that I finally could play again. I'm really happy with the minutes I got."
Following surgery late last Fall, de Leeuw began his long road back to health and fitness over the winter months before rejoining the team in training this summer, a process the 31-year-old has shared via the on-going "Road to Recovery" series presented by Novacare.
"Everything went so fast when I stepped on the field," de Leeuw added. Everything moved so fast, also it went by really fast. I'm just happy that I got these minutes and had a couple touches."
While de Leeuw's 17-minute appearance was encouraging, it remains just another step on his trek back to full match fitness.
"Very happy for Michael being back, but also we have to know that we have to be careful with his load and the minutes that he’s going to get," head coach Veljko Paunović said following the match. "Definitely 15, 20 minutes today will help him build the confidence and recover the feelings of being a soccer player and on the field and competing."
The Lion's reintegration to the side continues next weekend, as the Fire hit the road on Saturday, Aug. 18 to take on the Montreal Impact (6:30 p.m. CT, ESPN+)
