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 (5 ft 3 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| 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 | 4 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2010–2012 | Canada U-20 | 8 | (5) |
| 2012– | Canada | 129 | (44) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of April 12, 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of June 27, 2025 |
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Adriana Kristina Leon (born October 2, 1992) is a Canadian professional soccer player. She plays as a forward for San Diego Wave FC in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She also plays for the Canada national team.
Adriana played college soccer for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Florida Gators. She has played professionally for many clubs. These include the Boston Breakers, Chicago Red Stars, and Portland Thorns in the NWSL. She also played for FC Zürich in Switzerland. In England, she played for West Ham United, Manchester United, and Aston Villa. Adriana first played for Canada's senior 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 Youth Sports
Adriana Leon was born in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. She grew up in Maple and moved to King City in 2010. Her family owns a large furniture store chain in Canada.
Before soccer, Adriana was a figure skating and ice hockey player. She played ice hockey for seven seasons. In her last season, she won a league title and a gold medal. She played with future Canadian ice hockey stars.
At The Country Day School, Adriana played soccer, volleyball, and rugby. She was named MVP for her rugby team in 2009. She played youth soccer for Vaughan SC, Brams United, and Mississauga Falcons. 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 Journey
Adriana received a scholarship to play soccer at the University of Notre Dame. She played for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's soccer team in 2010 and 2011. As a first-year student, she played in 23 games and scored four goals. In the 2010 College Cup final, she scored the winning goal. This helped her team win 1–0 against the Stanford Cardinal. She was also named to the All-Tournament Team. In her second year, she scored six goals in 20 games.
After two seasons, Adriana moved to the University of Florida. She played for the Florida Gators in 2012. She played in 22 games, scoring five goals. Four of her goals were game-winners. She helped the Gators win their conference titles.
Professional Club Career
Starting in the NWSL
In 2013, Adriana was one of the first players chosen for the new National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She was assigned to the Boston Breakers. She made her professional debut on April 27, 2013. She scored her first goal on June 1, 2013.
Later in 2013, the Boston Breakers traded Adriana to the Chicago Red Stars. She played 35 games for Chicago over three seasons. She scored one goal in each of those seasons.
In November 2015, Adriana moved to the Western New York Flash. She played 10 games for them in 2016 before leaving in August.
Playing in Europe
On August 30, 2016, Adriana joined FC Zürich in Switzerland. She played five league games. She had a great performance in the UEFA Champions League. She scored three goals and made three assists in a 6–0 win. In December 2016, she left the club to return to North America.
Return to the NWSL
On January 30, 2017, Adriana rejoined the Boston Breakers. She was named NWSL Player of the Week twice that season. She played in all 24 games for Boston in 2017 and scored six goals.
The Breakers team stopped playing before the 2018 season. Adriana was then chosen by Sky Blue FC. She played two games for them before being traded again.
On June 12, 2018, Adriana was traded to the Seattle Reign FC. She played six games for Seattle in 2018.
Moving to England
On January 12, 2019, Adriana signed with West Ham United in England. She played 10 games and scored three goals in her first season. West Ham reached the FA Cup final for the first time, but lost 3–0. The next season, she was West Ham's top league scorer with five goals. She left West Ham in June 2022 after three and a half seasons. She played 59 games and scored 12 goals.
On July 4, 2022, Adriana signed a two-year contract with Manchester United. She scored her first goal for them on October 16, 2022. She played in nine games, scoring three goals.
In April 2023, Adriana joined Portland Thorns on loan. She played five league games and two cup games before her loan ended.
On September 11, 2023, Aston Villa signed Adriana. She scored her first goal for Aston Villa in November 2023. She helped them win against her old club, West Ham United. She scored 5 goals in 18 matches in her first season. She later scored two goals in one game, showing great form.
Joining San Diego Wave
On February 24, 2025, it was announced that Adriana had joined San Diego Wave. She signed a two-year deal. She made her debut for the Wave in their first game of the season. In the next game, she scored her first goal for the Wave. On April 26, she made her first NWSL assist. In late May, she scored two goals in a 5–2 win. This helped San Diego set a new club record for goals in a single match. Her performance earned her NWSL Player of the Week and Goal of the Week honors. On June 13, Adriana played in her 100th NWSL regular season match. She scored a goal in that game, becoming one of only 11 players to do so.
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 Canada's first game, a 6–0 win 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 played the whole game and scored the only goal in a 1–0 win. She played in 16 games for Canada in 2013, scoring three goals.
In 2015, Adriana played in her first major international tournament, the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada. She played in four of Canada's five games. Canada was knocked out by England in the quarterfinals.
After a period of not being called up, 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, Adriana scored six goals. Four of these goals came in one game against Cuba. She finished second in the tournament's top scorer race.
She was part of the squad for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. She played in three games as a substitute. Canada was eliminated in the round of 16.
Adriana was named to the squad for the 2020 Summer Olympics (held in 2021). She played in five of six games. She scored a goal in a 1–1 draw against Great Britain. Canada won the gold medal in a penalty shootout.
In 2022, Adriana played in all five games at the 2022 CONCACAF W Championship. She scored in a 3–0 win against Jamaica. Canada lost the final to the United States. She also scored all three of Canada's goals in two friendly wins against Australia.
At the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, Adriana scored the winning goal against Ireland. This was her first World Cup goal. On September 22, 2023, she played her 100th international game against Jamaica. She scored her 30th international goal in that game.
In 2024, Adriana played in the first CONCACAF W Gold Cup. She scored two goals against El Salvador and three goals against Paraguay. In the semi-final against the United States, she scored a penalty in extra time. Canada lost the shootout, but Adriana won the Golden Boot as the tournament's top scorer. She was also named to the Gold Cup Best XI. Many people now see her as a key player for Canada's team.
Adriana was called up to the Canada squad for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Career statistics
Club summary
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Playoffs | Continental | 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 FC | 2025 | NWSL | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Career total | 174 | 29 | 11 | 4 | 21 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 210 | 40 | ||
International summary
| 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 | 8 | 3 | |
| Total | 129 | 44 | |
International goals
- Scores and results list Canada's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Leon goal.
| No. | Date | Cap | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | January 12, 2013 | 1 | Yongchuan Stadium, Chongqing, China |  China |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2013 Four Nations Tournament |
| 2 | October 30, 2013 | 11 | Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, Canada |  South Korea |
3–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 3 | December 12, 2013 | 13 | Mané Garrincha, Brasília, Brazil |  Scotland |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2013 International Tournament of Brasilia |
| 4 | March 7, 2014 | 19 | GSZ Stadium, Larnaca, Cyprus |  Italy |
2–0 | 3–1 | 2014 Cyprus Cup |
| 5 | January 13, 2015 | 27 | Shenzhen Stadium, Futian, China |  Mexico |
1–0 | 2–1 | 2015 Four Nations Tournament |
| 6 | June 8, 2017 | 40 | Winnipeg Stadium, Winnipeg, Canada |  Costa Rica |
3–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 7 | November 9, 2017 | 42 | BC Place, Vancouver, Canada |  United States |
1–1 | 1–1 | |
| 8 | November 28, 2017 | 44 | Estadio Municipal de Marbella, Marbella, Spain |  Norway |
3–2 | 3–2 | |
| 9 | October 8, 2018 | 52 | H-E-B Park, Edinburg, Texas, United States |  Cuba |
1–0 | 12–0 | 2018 CONCACAF Women's Championship |
| 10 | 3–0 | ||||||
| 11 | 7–0 | ||||||
| 12 | 9–0 | ||||||
| 13 | October 11, 2018 | 53 | Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas, United States |  Panama |
6–0 | 7–0 | |
| 14 | 7–0 | ||||||
| 15 | May 18, 2019 | 56 | BMO Field, Toronto, Canada | Mexico |
3–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 16 | January 29, 2020 | 64 | H-E-B Park, Edinburg, Texas, United States |  Saint Kitts and Nevis |
2–0 | 11–0 | 2020 CONCACAF Olympic qualifying |
| 17 | 5–0 | ||||||
| 18 | 7–0 | ||||||
| 19 | 11–0 | ||||||
| 20 | July 27, 2021 | 73 | Kashima Stadium, Kashima, Japan |  Great Britain |
1–0 | 1–1 | 2020 Summer Olympics |
| 21 | October 23, 2021 | 77 | TD Place, Ottawa, Canada |  New Zealand |
4–1 | 5–1 | Friendly |
| 22 | 5–1 | ||||||
| 23 | October 26, 2021 | 78 | Saputo Stadium, Montreal, Canada | New Zealand |
1–0 | 1–0 | |
| 24 | July 14, 2022 | 85 | Estadio Universitario, Monterrey, Mexico |  Jamaica |
3–0 | 3–0 | 2022 CONCACAF W Championship |
| 25 | September 2, 2022 | 87 | Lang Park, Brisbane, Australia | .svg){kind=small} Australia |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 26 | September 6, 2022 | 88 | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, Australia | Australia |
1–1 | 2–1 | |
| 27 | 2–1 | ||||||
| 28 | November 11, 2022 | 91 | Vila Belmiro, São Paulo, Brazil |  Brazil |
2–0 | 2–1 | |
| 29 | July 26, 2023 | 98 | Perth Rectangular Stadium, Perth, Australia |  Republic of Ireland |
2–1 | 2–1 | 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup |
| 30 | September 22, 2023 | 100 | Independence Park, Kingston, Jamaica | Jamaica |
2–0 | 2–0 | 2024 CONCACAF Olympic qualifying play-off |
| 31 | December 1, 2023 | 104 | Starlight Stadium, Langford, Canada | Australia |
5–0 | 5–0 | Friendly |
| 32 | February 22, 2024 | 106 | Shell Energy Stadium, Houston, United States |  El Salvador |
3–0 | 6–0 | 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup |
| 33 | 4–0 | ||||||
| 34 | February 25, 2024 | 107 |  Paraguay |
1–0 | 4–0 | ||
| 35 | 3–0 | ||||||
| 36 | 4–0 | ||||||
| 37 | March 6, 2024 | 110 | Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego, United States | United States |
2–2 | 2–2 (aet)
(1–3 p) |
|
| 38 | April 9, 2024 | 112 | Lower.com Field, Columbus, United States | United States |
1–0 | 2–2
(4–5 p) |
2024 SheBelieves Cup |
| 39 | 2–2 | ||||||
| 40 | June 1, 2024 | 113 | Stade Saputo, Montréal, Canada | Mexico |
1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 41 | December 3, 2024 | 121 | Pinatar Arena, San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain | South Korea |
5–1 | 5–1 | |
| 42 | February 22, 2025 | 123 | Mexico |
2–0 | 2–0 | 2025 Pinatar Cup | |
| 43 | May 31, 2025 | 144 | Princess Auto Stadium, Winnipeg, Canada |  Haiti |
1–0 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 44 | 2–0 |
Honours and Awards
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 National Team
- Summer Olympic Games: 2021 (Gold Medal)
- CONCACAF W Championship runner-up: 2018, 2022
Individual Awards
- CONCACAF W Gold Cup Golden Boot (Top Scorer): 2024
- CONCACAF W Gold Cup Best XI: 2024
See also
In Spanish: Adriana Leon para niños
