Kara Lang facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Kara Lang

Lang in 2009
Personal information
Full name	Kara Elise Lang Romero
Birth name	Kara Elise Lang
Date of birth	(1986-10-22) 22 October 1986 (age 38)
Place of birth	Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Position(s)	Forward
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2005–2008	UCLA
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2003–2006	Vancouver Whitecaps FC	22	(13)
2009	Pali Blues	3	(1)
2010	Vancouver Whitecaps FC	8	(1)
International career‡
2002	Canada U-19
2002–2011	Canada	92	(34)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11 April 2013 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 11 April 2013 (UTC)

Kara Elise Lang Romero, born on October 22, 1986, is a former Canadian soccer player. She also works as a sports analyst. Kara played for Canada in two FIFA World Cups and the Olympic Games. She also played club soccer for the Vancouver Whitecaps Women.

Kara made her debut for the Canada National Women's Team on March 1, 2002, at the Algarve Cup in Portugal. She was only 15 years old, making her the youngest woman to join the team. She stopped playing soccer on January 5, 2011, when she was 24. This was because of ongoing knee injuries. Kara tried to come back to play in 2013 to help Canada in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. However, she got another knee injury in February 2014, which ended her comeback. She is now married to former baseball player Ricky Romero and they have two sons and a daughter. In November 2015, she was added to the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame as a player.

About Kara's Life

Family and Home

Since 2015, Kara Lang has been married to Ricky Romero, who used to play professional baseball. They are proud parents to two sons and a daughter.

Growing Up

Kara Lang was born in Calgary, Alberta, on October 22, 1986. She grew up in Oakville, Ontario. Her mother is from Manchester, England.

Food Choices

When Kara was a teenager, she decided to become a vegetarian. Later, she became a vegan. She was inspired by her teammate, Amy Walsh, who helped her with this choice.

Kara's Soccer Journey

Playing in College

Kara Lang was considered the top new player for college soccer in 2005. She chose to play for UCLA. Even as a first-year student, she was named a preseason All-American, which is a big honor. Her team, the UCLA Bruins, had a great season in 2005–2006. They won the Pac-10 title and were ranked 4th in the country.

Kara started her college career very strongly. In her second game, she scored three goals! During the 2005 NCAA tournament, she scored eight goals in six games. Her UCLA team played against the University of Portland in the NCAA final. Kara played against her international teammate, Christine Sinclair, in that game. Portland won the championship. Kara finished her first year at UCLA with 17 goals and six assists in 24 games.

In 2006, Kara had to take a break from playing. She tore a ligament in her knee (an ACL) before the season started. This meant she had to miss the whole year.

• 2007: Kara played in 17 games, starting 16 of them. She scored both goals in a 2–1 win against Portland. This was her first college game since her injury in 2005. She ended the season with seven goals and three assists. She also scored the winning goal in a game against Washington State.
• 2008: She played in 24 games, starting 23. She scored five goals and helped with nine assists. Her team, UCLA, had a fantastic season, winning 18 games and not losing any in their conference.

Playing for Canada

Kara Lang playing for Canada in the 2003 World Cup

Kara Lang is one of the youngest players ever to score a goal in a full international game. She scored against Wales on March 3, 2002, when she was just 15 years and 132 days old. Her first game for Canada, two days earlier, set a record for the youngest player to earn a cap for the senior women's team.

At the 2002 FIFA U-19 World Championships in Edmonton, Alberta, Kara was still only 15. She scored three goals in six games. She also scored a very important penalty kick in the semi-finals against Brazil. Canada made it to the final but lost to their rivals, the United States.

When she was 16, Kara played in all six of Canada's games at the FIFA Women's World Cup 2003. She scored two goals in that World Cup. One goal was against Japan and the other was against Sweden in the semi-finals. Her amazing free-kick goal against Sweden gave Canada a 1–0 lead. However, Canada lost that game 2–1 and finished in 4th place.

Kara was a key player in the 2004 CONCACAF U-19 Qualifying tournament in Ottawa, Ontario. She played as a central defender, which was a new role for her. Canada won the tournament by beating the United States 2–1. In the 2004 U-19 World Championships in Thailand, Canada lost in the quarter-finals to China.

In the 2006 CONCACAF U-20 Qualifying tournament, Kara set a record for the fastest goal ever. She scored just four seconds after the game started against Mexico on January 22, 2006. She also played in the FIFA Women's World Cup 2007 in China.

On August 6, 2008, Kara scored the winning goal for Canada in a 2–1 victory over Argentina at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Canada later lost to the United States in the quarter-finals.

Kara scored one goal in Canada's big 8–0 win against Guyana during the 2010 CONCACAF Women's World Cup qualifying tournament. She and her teammates went on to win the tournament by beating Mexico 1–0 in the final on November 8, 2010. Sadly, this was her last soccer game. Recurring knee injuries forced her to retire. She announced her retirement on January 5, 2011. Her teammates said that Kara was one of the most "enthusiastic, hilarious, courteous and spontaneous people" they knew. They were proud to call her a teammate and a lifelong friend.

After Playing Soccer

Working in TV

In 2011, Kara Lang started a new career as a television sports analyst for Rogers Sportsnet. She helped cover the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. Kara continued to work for Sportsnet after the World Cup.

In August 2012, Kara joined a new nightly show called Soccer Central on Sportsnet World in Canada. She left the show in early 2013 to try and make a comeback to the National team. In 2014, Kara joined the MLS on TSN broadcast team. She worked as a sideline reporter for the Montreal Impact and Toronto FC games. In 2015, she was also an analyst for TSN's coverage of the FIFA Women's World Cup.

Soccer Numbers

National Team Stats

Big Tournament Stats

Images for kids

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  Lang in 2009

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  Kara Lang in the Canada-USA match at the 2003 World Cup