Leslie Osborne had just returned to her Germany apartment, fresh off a practice in near freezing temperatures. After a three-hour practice and despite the fact that it was nearing 11 p.m., Osborne was still full of energy, knowing that one day prior she had signed a contract to play for the Boston Breakers in 2010. She felt it hard to contain her excitement about joining Boston’s Womens Professional Soccer franchise.

“It’s such a huge sports city,” said Osborne, the former member of FC Gold Pride. “I can’t wait to be a part of it. And it’s such a great city. I think that makes it more exciting. In the Bay Area, everything is so spread out with Oakland and San Francisco. Boston has awesome fans, and I want to do the best I can for them. I remember them, playing against Boston in June. I remember the corner of fans. I thought, ‘this is crazy, this is so cool.”

Osborne played last season for FC Gold Pride. The 26-year-old started 18 of the team’s 20 games. In early September, Gold Pride named Osborne a free agent, putting one of the biggest names in the free agent market out there for teams to snatch up.

“I thought I’d play in the Bay Area for the rest of my career,” she said. “I put that in my contract (to be a free agent after the season), but I just assumed I would re-sign. I waited out the process. I think it was good in the long run. I had a great experience there, but I was taking my time talking to coaches. I was open for a new opportunity.”

Boston seemed to be an easy choice for Osborne. One of only two female American athletes sponsored by Puma (the other being U.S. Olympic team forward, former Breaker, and current member of the Philadelphia Independence, Amy Rodriguez), Osborne had visited Puma’s U.S. headquarters in Weston, Mass., and occasionally made trips into Boston during her visits.

“I fell in love with the city,” she said. “And I’ve always wondered how I could find a way to get back to Boston. I haven’t been this excited in quite a while.”

Osborne currently plays for Vfl Sindelfingen, a team in the 2nd Womens Football Bundesliga, which is based out of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Meanwhile, her boyfriend, former Santa Clara standout Kyle Bailey, plays basketball for EnBW Ludwigsburg of the German Bundesliga.

The current weather in Germany isn’t ideal and is a far cry from the sun and warmth Osborne played in at home for FC Gold Pride and as a member of the 2001 Santa Clara University NCAA National Championship team.

“It was freezing and raining, and it was so foggy,” Osborne said of Thursday night’s practice, which the team played in near 40-degree weather. “I was kicking the ball, and I didn’t know if it was going to my teammates, that’s how foggy it was.”

Osborne can’t sign a contract with Vfl Sindelfingen until March, but she’ll already be back in the states, practicing with the Breakers during the 2010 preseason. She’s only allowed to train with Vfl Sindelfingen and play in the German Cup. On Oct. 29, Osborne is heading to Munich to see the U.S. Women’s National Team’s game against Germany.

A member of the U.S. Women’s National Team since 2004, Osborne, who has 57 caps with the team, currently is in the player pool and not on the team’s current roster. She played for the national team in the 2007 Women’s World Cup and was set to play in the 2008 Olympics until she was hit by an injury.

In May 2008, Osborne tore her ACL in her left knee. It happened in practice with the USWNT. This came right after she was named to the team that would head to the 2008 Olympics. She was forced to have surgery, not only on her knee, but on her ankle, which Osborne said was a reason she tore her ACL.

“All the ligaments in my ankle were torn,” she said. “My ankle felt loose; unfortunately I kept playing on it. I underwent a five-hour surgery (both on her knee and ankle at the same time) and then 10 to 12 months of recovery. I think the preseason was the first time I played competitively. It took about seven or eight games where it felt back to normal.”

Osborne said she’s at 100 percent and has no concerns about re-injuring her knee or ankle. She started 18 of Gold Pride’s 20 games last season and felt no ill effects.

“I don’t feel like I ever tore my ACL. It’s crazy,” she said, noting that she had surgery on her other ankle as well. “I have two new ankles, which is great.”

Osborne said she injured her calf last month, so she’s only done light training since. She said the injury won’t affect her come the start of the 2010 WPS season, which she’s looked forward to since the end of the 2009 season.

“Let’s just say that when the season ended with the Pride, I was bummed,” Osborne said. “I was fit. I was healthy. I was at the top of my game. Being able to play over here and hopefully at the national team camp in December, I want it to be a smooth transition.”

After spending either years on the West Coast, between her time with the Gold Pride and Santa Clara, Osborne will now have to adjust to the other side of the country.

“I’ve been on the West Coast for eight years, since I went to Santa Clara (University),” she said. “So I really classify myself as a West Coast girl because that’s where I’ve been. Now I’m going to the East Coast, which will be a change, but I’m really excited for it.”

Osborne joins a Breakers team that’s undergone several changes since the end of the 2009 season, including trading Rodriguez, losing Sue Weber and Kelly Schmedes to the WPS Expansion Draft and Heather Mitts, via free agency, to Philadelphia, and the recent retirement of USWNT midfielder Angela Hucles. They did, however, sign Osborne’s former Gold Pride teammate, Tiffany Weimer. Osborne also will reunite with England’s Kelly Smith, this time as a teammate. Osborne had the arduous task of marking Smith during the 2007 World Cup.

“I’m so happy to be playing with her, and the only time I have to play against her will be in practice,” Osborne said. “I was so impressed how well-rounded a player she is. I think we’ll be able to compliment each other. I’ll take care of everything behind her, and I’m looking forward to playing alongside Lil (Kristine Lilly). I came on (to the USWNT) in 2004, and she was the standard for me. Her expectation level for herself and everyone around her is so high. I think I’m very positive, and hopefully that will balance the team out.”

Osborne said that Boston Head Coach Tony DiCicco already has a plan for her, one that she’s eager to take on.

“He wants me to play the holding midfielder position,” Osborne said. “It’s an important part of their system. It sets the tone of the game, and I want to embrace that.”

Osborne should arrive in Boston shortly before preseason.

“I’m excited,” Osborne said, not only about playing for the Breakers but meeting her new teammates and taking in Red Sox and Celtics games. “I haven’t felt this excited in a long time.”

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