If everything goes well, Kelley O’Hara will have a happy homecoming when she and the U.S. women’s national soccer team play host to Russia on Thursday at the Georgia Dome.
O’Hara grew up in Fayetteville and will have lots of friends and family at the game for what she and her coach said should be her first appearance in the red, white and blue in Atlanta.
Not only will they celebrate her homecoming, they will look forward to watching O’Hara man her spot at fullback in her first playing minutes since undergoing surgery on her right ankle last summer.
“I love going home in general, but to go home and do what I love to do is really exciting and fun,” said O’Hara, who has made 40 appearances for the U.S. team, including winning a gold medal in the 2012 Olympics.
O’Hara may not play a lot Wednesday. She and coach Tom Sermanni said she will be eased back into the team. She hasn’t made an appearance since the U.S. team defeated South Korea in New Jersey in June.
“I’m taking my time, not trying to push it,” she said.
During surgery last summer, doctors reconstructed the ligaments on the outside of her ankle, sewing them tighter to the bone. They also scoped the back of her ankle. O’Hara said before the surgery her ankle was so loose that bones were hurting each other.
After the surgery, she had to learn how to walk again without a limp and rebuild the muscle mass and confidence lost during the rehabilitation.
She said the ankle is “much tighter” now, and she slowly is regaining the flexibility needed for her to cut and dribble.
One of the better feelings came when she was able to strike a ball with her right foot during a rehabilitation session in Los Angeles just before Christmas. That was something she couldn’t do before the surgery because the pain had become too great.
O’Hara said she learned several lessons during the experience. She will no longer push herself to play through too much pain, which was one of the things that led to required surgery. She also learned to take a more professional approach with her body.
“If I need to take time to recover, then I do,” she said.
She said playing a few minutes Thursday will be considered a success.
Sermanni said that should happen. There are three players competing for the starting left-back position, and all three are working their way back.
“We weren’t expecting her back to where she is now,” Sermanni said. “That tells a lot about her professional, character and focus.”
O’Hara said she hasn’t been in the Georgia Dome since she was a senior at Starr’s Mill High School, rooting for the football team.
O’Hara said she hoped to some time with her mom, dad, sister, brother and his girlfriend and some friends during the week, maybe eating something in the hotel room that her mom has baked.
O’Hara is looking forward to the whole experience.
“It’s been a while,” O’Hara said. “Just to be able to play soccer and put on the uniform and compete with my teammates for the national team will be a success.”
