It was a momentous occasion for the 24-year-old as she scored a hat-trick, her first for the club, in Chicago's 3-1 win over bottom of the table Sky Blue FC.

However, it was also a sobering moment for Kerr, who was a member of Sky Blue's squad for three seasons before being traded in January.

At Sky Blue last season, Kerr broke the record scoring 17 goals in a single season and also became the all-time leading NWSL goalscorer. In the same season, she also set a new NWSL record when she scored four goals in a single game and won the NWSL Golden Boot and MVP awards.

Speaking to The Equalizer after the match Kerr said she it was hard to return to New Jersey.

"If I'm honest I didn't enjoy it," she said.

"I wish things were better here and that I could stay. I scored a hat-trick, but I wasn't myself today. I feel sad. I feel sick playing against these girls. They're my lifelong friends.

"It just sucks that that's the way it had to be. I'm just going to say the girls deserve better and I'm just going to leave it at that. These girls are great girls. They give everything of themselves for this club and this league and they just deserve better.

"I wish I could take every single one of them with me but that's not the way it is. I felt like I was going to cry at some points in the game," Kerr said.

Sky Blue's have now played 14 games without a win, a new record for the NWSL, and zero minutes playing with the lead.