Adriana Leon facts for kids
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Leon for Aston Villa in March 2024
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Adriana Kristina Leon | ||
| Date of birth | October 2, 1992 | ||
| Place of birth | Mississauga, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 1.61 m | ||
| Playing position | Winger | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Aston Villa | ||
| Number | 19 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Vaughan SC | |||
| Pickering SC | |||
| Mississauga Falcons SC | |||
| – | Brams United SC | ||
| 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– | Aston Villa | 26 | (8) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2010–2012 | Canada U-20 | 8 | (5) |
| 2012– | Canada | 121 | (41) |
† Appearances (Goals). |
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Adriana Kristina Leon (born October 2, 1992) is a Canadian professional soccer player. She plays as a winger for Aston Villa in England. Adriana also plays for the Canadian national team.
She played college soccer in the United States before becoming a professional. Adriana has played for many teams, including Boston Breakers, Chicago Red Stars, and Portland Thorns in the NWSL. She also played for FC Zürich in Switzerland and West Ham United and Manchester United in England. Adriana first played for Canada's national team in 2012. She has played in two FIFA Women's World Cup tournaments. She won a gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Contents
Early Life and Sports Beginnings
Adriana Leon was born in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. She grew up in Maple and later moved to King City. Before playing soccer, Adriana was a figure skating and ice hockey player. She played ice hockey for seven seasons. In her last season, her team, the Toronto Jr. Aeros, won a provincial title.
While at school, Adriana played soccer, volleyball, and rugby. She was even named MVP for her rugby team in 2009. She played youth soccer for several clubs, including Vaughan SC. In 2009, she helped Team Ontario win a bronze medal at the Canada Summer Games. She was the top scorer in that tournament, with seven goals.
College Soccer Career
Adriana went to the University of Notre Dame on a sports scholarship. She played for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's soccer team in 2010 and 2011. In her first year, she played 23 games and scored four goals. She scored the winning goal in the 2010 College Cup final. This helped her team win the championship.
After two years, Adriana moved to the University of Florida. She played for the Florida Gators in 2012. She scored five goals for the Gators. She helped her team win the Southeastern Conference regular season and tournament titles.
Professional Club Journey
Starting in the NWSL
In 2013, Adriana joined the Boston Breakers for the first-ever NWSL season. She made her professional debut on April 27, 2013. She scored her first goal for the Breakers on June 1, 2013.
Later in 2013, Adriana was traded to the Chicago Red Stars. She played 35 games for Chicago over three seasons. She scored one goal in each of those seasons.
Moving to Western New York and Switzerland
In 2015, Adriana moved to the Western New York Flash. She played 10 games for them in 2016.
In August 2016, Adriana transferred to FC Zürich in Switzerland. She played five league games there. She also scored a hat-trick (three goals) in a UEFA Champions League match. This was a big win for her team. She left the club in December 2016 to return to North America.
Back to Boston and Other NWSL Teams
Adriana rejoined the Boston Breakers for the 2017 season. She had a great season, scoring six goals in 24 games. She was named NWSL Player of the Week twice for her strong performances.
When the Breakers stopped playing in 2018, Adriana was picked by Sky Blue FC. She played two games for them before being traded to Seattle Reign. She played six games for Seattle in 2018.
Playing in England
In January 2019, Adriana signed with West Ham United in the English Women's Super League. She scored three goals in her first season. West Ham reached the FA Cup final for the first time in their history, but they lost to Manchester City. In the next season, she was West Ham's top league scorer with five goals. She left West Ham in 2022 after three and a half seasons.
On July 4, 2022, Adriana signed with Manchester United. She scored her first goal for them in October. She played nine games for Manchester United.
Loan to Portland and Joining Aston Villa
In April 2023, Adriana joined Portland Thorns in the NWSL on loan. She played five league games for them.
On September 11, 2023, Aston Villa announced that Adriana had signed a two-year contract with them.
International Career for Canada
Youth Teams
Adriana played for Canada's under-20 team. In 2010, she scored two goals in the CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship. In 2012, she played in the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Japan. She scored three goals in one game against Argentina.
Senior National Team
In January 2013, Adriana was called up to the senior Canada national team. She made her debut on January 12, 2013, against China. She scored the only goal in a 1–0 win. She played in 16 games for Canada in 2013 and scored three goals.
In 2015, Adriana played in her first major international tournament, the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, which Canada hosted. She helped Canada win their opening match by earning a penalty kick. Canada reached the quarter-finals in that tournament.
After missing out on the 2016 Olympics, Adriana returned to the national team in 2017. She scored in three of her six games that year. At the 2018 CONCACAF Women's Championship, she scored six goals, including four in one game against Cuba.
She was part of the squad for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. She played in three games as Canada reached the round of 16.
Olympic Gold and Recent Success
Adriana was named to the 2020 Summer Olympics squad (played in 2021). She played in five of six games and scored a goal against Great Britain. In the final, Canada won the gold medal in a penalty shootout.
In 2022, Adriana played in the 2022 CONCACAF W Championship. She scored in the semi-final against Jamaica. Canada reached the final but lost to the United States. She also scored all three goals in two friendly wins against Australia in 2022.
At the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, Adriana scored the winning goal against Ireland. This was her first World Cup goal. In September 2023, she played her 100th international game for Canada. She scored her 30th international goal in that game, helping Canada win 2–0 against Jamaica.
In 2024, Adriana played in the first 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup. She scored two goals against El Salvador and three goals against Paraguay. She scored a penalty in the semi-final against the United States, sending the game to a shootout. She won the Golden Boot as the tournament's top scorer.
Honours
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- NCAA Women's Soccer Championship: 2010
Florida Gators
- Southeastern Conference regular season: 2012
- SEC Women's Soccer Tournament: 2012
West Ham United
- Women's FA Cup runner-up: 2019
Canada
- Summer Olympic Games: 2021
- CONCACAF W Championship runner-up: 2018, 2022
Individual
- CONCACAF W Gold Cup Golden Boot: 2024
- CONCACAF W Gold Cup Best XI: 2024
See Also
In Spanish: Adriana Leon para niños
