Canadian international Sarah Stratigakis signs with NSL's AFC Toronto

The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jun 25, 2025 12:03 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

Canadian midfielder Sarah Stratigakis tells a acquainted communicative successful signing with AFC Toronto.

"I'm precise excited. Finally, to person a accidental to play professionally successful Canada," said the 26-year-old from Woodbridge, Ont. "Playing successful beforehand of my family, my friends, my hometown, it means the satellite to me."

Stratigakis was besides sold by the transportation from Toronto sporting manager Billy Wilson and caput manager Marko Milanovic.

"I truly align with their values and their imaginativeness for the team," she said successful an interview. "I conscionable spot it arsenic a spot wherever I tin get amended arsenic well. I truly privation to [put] my stamp connected that team."

Stratigakis tin commencement grooming with Toronto successful July, but can't play until aft July 20 erstwhile the transportation model opens. Her past crippled was successful May.

After a stellar collegiate vocation astatine Michigan, Stratigakis played overseas successful Sweden (Vittsjö GIK), England (Bristol City) and France (Saint-Etienne).

"Playing overseas was astir apt 1 of the astir challenging and rewarding experiences of my career," she said. "I've been each over. Each state offered caller challenges, caller expectations and benignant of play. I've decidedly learned a batch from my clip there."

The league successful Sweden was "incredibly challenging," and her teammates were "high quality," she said.

"I was improving each the time," she added. "It was conscionable an situation I enjoyed."

WATCH | Ottawa's Delaney Baie Pridham ascendant against AFC Toronto:

Tough 2024 play with Bristol City

She counted Canadians Sabrina D'Angelo and Sura Yekka, a puerility person and chap erstwhile Wolverine, among her teammates successful Sweden.

Stratigakis signed with Bristol City successful January 2024, arriving midway done a hard run that saw the nine relegated aft a 1-18-3 debut play successful the English apical tier.

"I'd ever wanted to play successful the Women's Super League," she said.

"Being a caller promoted squad is evidently a hard situation, but it was truly chill playing against the Man Cities, the Arsenals of the world," she added. "That was truly chill to turn my game."

She joined Saint-Etienne successful August 2024. The nine went connected to decorativeness 10th successful the 12-team French league astatine 5-15-2.

"It seemed similar a bully acceptable for me," she said. "I played loads of minutes. And it was chill that we made the Coupe de France semifinals. It was the archetypal time, I think, successful a decennary that the squad had accomplished that. So we had immoderate highs, but of people successful a shot career, there's immoderate lows arsenic well. And it's however you flooded those moments."

At Michigan, she was named Big Ten Midfielder of the Year successful 2019 and won the Big Ten tourney successful 2021. She started 92 of 95 games for the Wolverines from 2017 to 2021, scoring 20 goals and adding 28 assists.

An attacking midfielder, Stratigakis likes to beryllium successful the centre of the action.

"I similar to beryllium connected the ball. I tin marque things happen," she said erstwhile asked astir her benignant of play.

Made elder debut for Canada astatine 17

Stratigakis has won 5 caps for Canada, including 2 starts, with 1 goal. At younker level, she represented Canada astatine 3 FIFA tournaments — U-17 World Cup successful 2014 successful Costa Rica and 2016 successful Jordan and the U-20 World Cup successful 2016 successful Papua New Guinea.

She was 17 erstwhile she made her elder debut for Canada successful February 2017 successful a 3-2 triumph implicit Mexico successful Vancouver. Stratigakis came disconnected the seat to people successful stoppage clip to springiness Canada a 1-0 triumph implicit Argentina astatine the SheBelieves Cup successful Orlando successful February 2021.

Her past elder quality was against Wales successful April 2021.

Stratigakis knows Toronto teammates see Victoria Pickett, Emma Regan, Kaela Hansen and Ashley Cathro from her clip with the nationalist team.

At Michigan, she graduated from the schoolhouse of kinesiology with a large successful athletics management. Stratigakis has besides started her coaching badges, having already obtained her UEFA 'C' licence.

Returning to Canada opens the doorway for her to proceed those passions.

"Being successful Europe, it's truly hard to bash thing but play for your team, due to the fact that of connection barriers and definite rules," she said. "The information that I tin travel location and possibly commencement different parts of my beingness is different crushed wherefore it's large to person a Canadian league, truthful I tin commencement reasoning of things aft shot arsenic well.:

AFC Toronto presently tops the six-team Northern Super League astatine 6-3-1 and, with 15 goals is 2nd lone to Ottawa Rapid FC (with 16) successful scoring.

Shaina Ashouri near Toronto past week by communal consent. The nine said the 28-year-old forward, who made 9 appearances for Toronto, near "to prosecute caller opportunities abroad."