Leon returns to Chicago after FIFA World Cup heartbreak

July 8, 2015 · 0 Comments

By Jake Courtepatte
It was a disappointing end to the FIFA World Cup for Canada’s women’s squad, looking to cement their place among the top international teams on home turf.
Canada had an early exit to the tournament in a painful 2-1 quarterfinal loss to England in front of over 50,000 fans at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver, with two early goals three minutes apart proving to much of a deficit for the home team.
The 22-year old Adriana Leon, a former King City resident and Country Day School alumnus, appeared in four of Canada’s five matches in the tournament, providing some key highlights for the team in her first World Cup appearance.
It was Leon who was fouled inside the box during the final moments of Canada’s opener against the 1999 World Cup champion China PR, setting up a Christine Sinclair strike on a penalty to give Canada the 1-0 victory.
Some criticism was stirred up throughout the tournament, and especially upon Canada’s elimination, regarding the use of Leon as a substitute rather than in the starting 11. Many believed she deserved the place of Melissa Tancredi, her teammate in club play and 11 years her elder. While Tancredi’s last goal for Canada came in 2012, Leon has scored five goals for Canada since her national debut in 2013.
But for Leon, she has a humble approach to the veteran leadership she gets to experience on the national squad.
“It’s a team effort, and I can say that we honestly gave it our all,” said Leon. “We just had some bad breaks that unfortunately cost us. The experience I got is invaluable – our goal is to put women’s soccer on the map in Canada.”
Despite the upset, the future of Canadian women’s soccer is bright. Names like Leon, Ashley Lawrence, and Kadeisha Buchanan, some of the team’s youngest players, should mature well under Canada’s development program and already look comfortable in the red and white. Buchanan was awarded the 2015 FIFA Hyundai Young Player Award.
“I’m looking forward to coming back stronger than ever,” said Leon about the 2016 Summer Olympic games in Rio.
For Leon, the end of the tournament marks a return to her home club the Chicago Red Stars of the National Women’s Soccer League, along with seven other teammates who represented their respective countries on the world’s biggest stage.
All eight, including fellow Canadians Tancredi and Karina LeBlanc, will be given a special welcoming ceremony before the team’s next home game on July 18.
“It’s back to business as usual,” said Leon. “I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything in the world, but now it’s time to focus again.”