Former pro soccer player David Testo has only one regret about going public with his homosexuality: He wishes he had done it a long time ago.

Testo, who was released by the Montreal Impact of the United Soccer League at the end of the season, came out Thursday in an interview with CBC Radio-Canada.

“I really do regret not coming out publicly earlier,” the 30-year-old midfielder, who also played with the Vancouver Whitecaps and Richmond Kickers of the USL and Columbus Crew of the MLS, told Radio-Canada.

“It’s like carrying around a secret, you know, and carrying around luggage and just never being allowed to be yourself.”

The North Carolina native said he now feels more confident and mature and is ready to speak publicly about his sexual orientation.

Testo said he had wrestled with making his sexual orientation public for a long time. He added that he was also regrets not thanking his partner as he accepted the team’s most valuable player award in 2009.

“The one person I wanted to thank the most, I couldn’t,” he said. “I just didn’t feel comfortable at the time.”

Testo said his sexual orientation wasn’t a secret among his family, friends or teammates. In the interview, he talked about the difficulty of being a gay athlete, both for himself and his teammates.

“On a daily basis I had to constantly be aware of the things I said, who I said it to,” he said. “I think players around me had to, too.

“That sucks, as a human being. It would have been a lot easier to get into a field where everything is accepted.”

The team offered its full support.

“David Testo’s declaration is in fact very personal,” Impact president Joey Saputo said in a statement. “We knew David’s orientation prior to him joining our club from Vancouver in 2007.

“During his career in Montreal he has always been a professional and dedicated player to this club on and off the field. His decision to go public must have been a difficult one and we respect it.”

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He also received support from the Quebec Council of Gays and Lesbians, who said his announcement will increase public awareness regarding gays and lesbians in sports.

Testo is the latest in a growing number of high-level gay athletes who have gone public with their sexual orientation. European soccer players Justin Fashanu and Anton Hysén, Canadian Olympic swimmer Mark Tewksbury and NBA centre John Amaechi are among those who have come out.