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But Endo, a free spirit who was one of Angel City first international signings in 2021, was the first truly influential Japanese player in Southern California.

And even though a torn ACL has kept Endo off the field the last two seasons, that popularity hasn’t ebbed.

“More Japanese fans come out and they’ll reach out to me in Japanese postgame, which didn’t happen as much in my first year,” Endo said in Japanese.

Endo said she’s long embraced the idea that athletes, simply by their example, can let children know they are welcome in certain spaces.

“When I was a kid I had that feeling of if I can see it, I can do it. Not necessarily in the sense of gender or culture. But just in certain aspects of soccer and the individual player,” Endo said.