.jpg) Leon for Aston Villa in March 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Adriana Kristina Leon[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1992-10-02)October 2, 1992 (age 32) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Mississauga, Ontario, Canada | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.61 m (5 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Winger | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | San Diego Wave | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vaughan SC | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pickering SC | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mississauga Falcons SC | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Brams United SC | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| College career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 43 | (10) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Florida Gators | 22 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2012 | Toronto Lady Lynx | 9 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | Boston Breakers | 6 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | Chicago Red Stars | 35 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | Western New York Flash | 10 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | FC Zürich | 5 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | Boston Breakers | 24 | (6) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018 | Sky Blue FC | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018 | Seattle Reign | 6 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2022 | West Ham United | 43 | (9) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Manchester United | 5 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | →Portland Thorns (loan) | 5 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2025 | Aston Villa | 29 | (8) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2025– | San Diego Wave | 2 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2012 | Canada U-20 | 8 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012– | Canada | 125 | (42) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of March 22, 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of April 4, 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Adriana Kristina Leon (born October 2, 1992) is a Canadian professionalsoccer player who plays as awinger forSan Diego Wave FC of theNational Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and theCanada national team.
She previously playedcollege soccer forNCAA Division I programsNotre Dame Fighting Irish andFlorida Gators before playing professionally for theBoston Breakers,Chicago Red Stars,Western New York Flash,Sky Blue FC,Seattle Reign andPortland Thorns in the NWSL, Swiss clubFC Zürich in theNationalliga A, andWest Ham United,Manchester United andAston Villa of the EnglishWomen's Super League. Leon made her senior international debut in 2012, and has represented Canada at twoFIFA Women's World Cup tournaments and won Olympic gold atTokyo 2020.
Born inMississauga, Ontario, Leon was raised inMaple and moved with her family toKing City in 2010 at the age of 16. Her extended family holds a controlling share of Canadian furniture storeLeon's.[2] Leon beganfigure skating before taking upice hockey at the age of 10, playing seven seasons of minor hockey up to Midget AA level. In her final season she won both the Provincial Women's Hockey League title and a gold medal at the Ontario Women's Hockey Association provincial championships with a Toronto Jr. Aeros team that also consisted of futureCanada ice hockey internationalsJill Saulnier andErin Ambrose.[3] While atThe Country Day School, Leon played soccer,volleyball andrugby, earning the rugby team's MVP honour in 2009. She played youth soccer for Vaughan SC, Brams United and Mississauga Falcons. In 2009, Leon was part of the Team Ontario squad that won bronze at the Canada Summer Games and finished as the tournament's top scorer with seven goals in five matches having scored in every game.[4]
Leon accepted an athletic scholarship to attend theUniversity of Notre Dame and played for theNotre Dame Fighting Irish women's soccer team in 2010 and 2011. As a freshman she made 23 appearances and scored four goals. In the2010 College Cup final she came off the bench to score the lone goal in a 1–0 victory over theStanford Cardinal and was named to the All-Tournament Team.[5] As a sophomore, she was joint-second for the team lead with six goals in 20 appearances.
After two seasons with the Irish, Leon transferred to theUniversity of Florida, where she played for coachBecky Burleigh'sFlorida Gators in 2012. She made 22 appearances, playing in every available match after missing the first three matches while touring Japan with theCanadian national U-20 team. Leon scored five goals including four game-winners for the Gators and helped the team toSoutheastern Conference regular season and tournament titles.[4]
Ahead of the inaugural2013 NWSL season, Leon was named as one of 16 players subsidized by the Canadian federations as part of the initialNWSL Player Allocation. She was allocated to theBoston Breakers.[6][7] Having been an unused substitute in the team's opening match, Leon made her professional debut on April 27, 2013 as an 84th-minute substitute forSydney Leroux as part of a 2–1 win away atWestern New York Flash. She scored her first goal in a 5–1 loss againstSky Blue FC on June 1, 2013.[8]
On June 29, 2013, the Boston Breakers traded Leon to theChicago Red Stars in exchange forCarmelina Moscato.[9] She made 35 appearances in three seasons with Chicago, scoring one goal in each of the three seasons.
In November 2015,Western New York Flash acquired Leon along withAbby Erceg and the No. 9 overall pick in the2016 NWSL College Draft from Chicago in exchange forWhitney Engen and a fourth-round pick in the2017 NWSL College Draft.[10] She made 10 appearances during the2016 season including three starts without scoring before departing in August 2016.
On August 30, 2016, Leon transferred toFC Zürich of the SwissNationalliga A for an undisclosed fee.[11] She made five league appearances without scoring but had some standout performances in other competitions. She registered a goal and three assists in a 5–0 win overFC Luzern in the second round of theSwiss Cup before scoring again in the next round as Zürich beat FC Walperswil 8–1.[12][13] On October 5, 2016, Leon starred in aUEFA Champions League round of 32 victory over Austrian sideSK Sturm Graz, scoring a hattrick and registering a further three assists in a 6–0 victory.[14] On December 1, 2016, it was announced that Leon and the club had mutually agreed to terminate her contract so that she could return to North America.[15]
On January 30, 2017, it was announced that Leon had rejoined theBoston Breakers ahead of the2017 season.[16] She was namedNWSL Player of the Week twice during the season: once for week three for her performance againstSeattle Reign, scoring one goal and registering two assists as part of a 3–0 victory,[17] and again in week 21 for a one goal and one assist performance in a 3–0 win overWashington Spirit.[18] Leon appeared in all 24 Boston Breakers matches in 2017, scoring a total of six goals.
The Breakers ceased operations prior to the start of the 2018 season and the players were redistributed within the league via the2018 NWSL Dispersal Draft. Leon was selected in the second round bySky Blue FC.[19] She made two substitute appearances for the team before being traded.
On June 12, 2018, Leon was traded to theSeattle Reign FC in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the2019 NWSL College Draft.[20] Leon made six appearances for Seattle in 2018 including one start before the club opted not to retain her NWSL rights ahead of the 2019 season.[21]
On January 12, 2019, Leon signed forWest Ham United midway through the team's debutWomen's Super League season. The move reunited Leon withMatt Beard who had been her head coach in Boston.[22] In her debut campaign she made 10 appearances in all competitions, scoring three goals including two in a 3–1 win overBlackburn Rovers in the fourth round of theFA Cup. West Ham reached the FA Cup final for the first time in the club's history in2019 before losing the final atWembley Stadium 3–0 toManchester City with Leon playing the full 90 minutes.[23] The following season Leon was West Ham's top league goalscorer with five prior to the WSL season being curtailed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. On June 29, 2022, West Ham announced Leon had decided to leave the club upon the expiration of her contract that summer after three and a half seasons. She made a total of 59 appearances in all competitions and scored 12 goals.[24]
On July 4, 2022, Leon signed a two-year contract withManchester United.[25] She made her debut for the club on September 17, 2022, as a 64th-minute substitute for Lucía García in the opening game of the season, a 4–0 win at home toReading and scored her first goal in gameweek three on October 16 in a 4–0 win at home toBrighton & Hove Albion. Leon saw her playing time limited nine appearances in all competitions, including five in the WSL all as a substitute, scoring three goals. She was reportedly the subject of a loan move fromA.C. Milan in January and then later offered to several WSL clubs but United stalled and none of these deals could be completed in time. Head coachMarc Skinner confirmed he had been leaving her out of the squad because she needed to improve to earn a spot in a "really competitive squad" and put on extra training sessions for her.[26]
On April 13, 2023, still searching for playing time having made two appearances since the turn of the year, Leon joinedNational Women's Soccer League clubPortland Thorns on loan for the remainder of the 2022–23 WSL season, until June 30, 2023.[27][28] She made five league and two cup appearances for the club before the loan expired.[29]
On September 11, 2023,Aston Villa announced the signing of Leon on a two-year contract.[30]
On 24 February 2025, it was announced that Leon had joinedSan Diego Wave on a two-year deal with a mutual option from Aston Villa in exchange for an undisclosed fee.[31][32] She made her club debut in the Wave's season opener, coming on as a second-half substitute forKyra Carusa in a 1–1 draw withAngel City FC.[33] During the following match, a 3–2 win over theUtah Royals, Leon registered her first start and first goal with the Wave.[34]
Leon represented Canada atunder-20 level at the2010 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship, starting all three group games and scoring twice in wins overCosta Rica andGuatemala as Canada topped the group. However, a 1–0 semifinal defeat toMexico in extra-time and a further 1–0 defeat to Costa Rica in the third-place playoff meant Canada failed to qualify for the2010 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.
In 2012, Leon was not included in the final squad for the2012 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship. Canada's second-place finish qualified the team for the2012 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup and Leon was recalled to the squad for the tournament inJapan.[35] She scored a first-half hattrick as Canada opened the group stage with a 6–0 win overArgentina but defeats againstNorway andNorth Korea eliminated the team at the group stage.[36]
In January 2013, Leon earned her first call-up to the seniorCanada national team for the friendly2013 Four Nations Tournament.[37] She made her senior international debut againstChina on January 12, 2013, playing the full 90 minutes and scoring the only goal in a 1–0 victory.[38] She played the full 90 minutes of all three games. She appeared in 16 of the 17 matches Canada played in 2013, scoring three goals.
In 2015, Leon was named to her first major international tournament as part of the2015 FIFA Women's World Cup hosted by Canada. She made her World Cup debut on June 6, 2015 as a 77th-minute substitute against China in the opening match of the tournament. Leon was fouled in the penalty area byZhao Rong in stoppage time, earning Canada a penalty which was scored byChristine Sinclair to win 1–0.[39] She played in four of the five games as Canada were eliminated byEngland at thequarterfinal stage.
Having struggled for form and game time at club level,John Herdman dropped Leon from international contention in 2016, first omitting her from the2016 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Championship and then the2016 Summer Olympics themselves where Canada won the bronze medal match against host nationBrazil. She returned to the NWSL in 2017 and her performances with Boston earned her a recall to the national setup.[40] She scored in three of her six appearances for Canada in 2017.
At the2018 CONCACAF Women's Championship Leon scored six goals (including four in a game againstCuba) and finished second in tournament's golden boot race, one goal behindAlex Morgan of theUnited States.[41]
On May 25, 2019, she was named to the roster for the2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.[42] She made three substitute appearances in France for a combined 58 minutes as Canada were eliminated at theround of 16 bySweden.
Having been left out of the squad for the previous Olympics, Leon was named to the delayed2020 Summer Olympics squad in August 2021.[43] She appeared in five of six games, scoring in a 1–1 group stage draw withGreat Britain. Having successfully converted a penalty in theshootout victory over Brazil in the quarterfinals, Leon stepped up to take another penalty in thegold medal match but scuffed her kick low toHedvig Lindahl's right. Despite this, Canada won the shootout 3–2.[44]
In 2022, Leon appeared in all five matches at the2022 CONCACAF W Championship including one start, and scored during a 3–0 semifinal win overJamaica.[45] Canada lost thefinal 1–0 to theUnited States with Leon appearing as a 67th-minute substitute.[46] Leon also played a crucial role in Canada's two September friendly matches againstAustralia, held in anticipation of the following year's World Cup that the latter would co-host. She scored all three Canadian goals in 1–0 and 2–1 victories over the Australians.[47][48]
After what was widely deemed a difficult club season with limited playing time, there were questions about Leon's form going into the2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.[49] In the team's second group match againstIreland, Leon scored the game-winning goal, her first at a World Cup.[50] This proved to be the only goal scored by a Canadian in the team's three matches in the tournament, Canada's only other goal being anown goal credited to Irish midfielderMegan Connolly.[51] Following the team's disappointment at the World Cup, Leon made her 100th international appearance in the first match of the two-partCONCACAF Olympic qualification playoff againstJamaica. She scored her 30th international goal in stoppage time, helping Canada to a 2–0 victory.[52]
Opening 2024 at theinaugural edition of theCONCACAF W Gold Cup, Leon scored a brace in Canada's opening group stage game againstEl Salvador, and then a hat trick againstParaguay in the next game.[53][54] Canada reached the semi-final against the United States, and with less than a minute remaining in extra time with the Americans up 2–1, Leon was tasked with taking a penalty. She scored her sixth of the tournament, sending the game to a penalty shootout, but failed to score there, with Canada ultimately losing 3–1.[55] She won the Golden Boot as the tournament's top scorer and was named to the Gold Cup Best XI.[56][57] Media commentary subsequently remarked that Leon had "staked a claim" to the team's starting striker role following the retirement of Christine Sinclair.[58]
Leon was called up to the Canada squad for the2024 Summer Olympics.[59]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Playoffs[c] | Continental[d] | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Boston Breakers | 2013 | NWSL | 6 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 6 | 1 | ||||
| Chicago Red Stars | 2013 | NWSL | 10 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 10 | 1 | ||||
| 2014 | 20 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 20 | 1 | ||||||
| 2015 | 5 | 1 | — | — | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 1 | |||||
| Total | 35 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 3 | ||
| Western New York Flash | 2016 | NWSL | 10 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | — | 10 | 0 | |||
| FC Zürich | 2016–17 | Nationalliga A | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 4 | 3 | 11 | 5 | ||
| Boston Breakers | 2017 | NWSL | 24 | 6 | — | — | — | — | 24 | 6 | ||||
| Sky Blue FC | 2018 | NWSL | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||||
| Seattle Reign | 2018 | NWSL | 6 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | |||
| West Ham United | 2018–19 | WSL | 6 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 3 | ||
| 2019–20 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | — | — | 16 | 6 | ||||
| 2020–21 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 1 | ||||
| 2021–22 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 43 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 59 | 12 | ||
| Manchester United | 2022–23 | WSL | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 9 | 3 | ||
| Portland Thorns FC (loan) | 2023 | NWSL | 5 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 0 | |||
| Aston Villa | 2023–24 | WSL | 18 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 22 | 6 | ||
| 2024–25 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 15 | 3 | ||||
| Total | 29 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 9 | ||
| San Diego Wave | 2025 | NWSL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Career total | 172 | 29 | 11 | 4 | 21 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 208 | 40 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 2013 | 16 | 3 |
| 2014 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2015 | 13 | 1 | |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 6 | 3 | |
| 2018 | 10 | 6 | |
| 2019 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 3 | 4 | |
| 2021 | 12 | 4 | |
| 2022 | 14 | 5 | |
| 2023 | 13 | 3 | |
| 2024 | 16 | 10 | |
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | |
| Total | 125 | 42 | |
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Florida Gators
West Ham United
Canada
Individual
Canada squads | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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