By Canadian Press

Annabelle Chukwu, a prolific scorer at youth level, called up by Canada senior side

Jun 18, 2025 | 8:12 AM

Canada coach Casey Stoney has called up teenage forward Annabelle Chukwu, who has scored a Canadian record 39 goals in 42 international youth-level appearances, for games against Costa Rica and the U.S. in the upcoming FIFA international window.

The eighth-ranked Canadian women host No. 43 Costa Rica on June 27 in a special Pride Celebration game at Toronto’s BMO Field before heading south to face the top-ranked U.S. on July 2 at Audi Field in Washington, D.C.

“This (international) window is an important step forward for our group as we continue building toward our goals,” Stoney said in a statement. “Playing at home, especially during Pride Month, means a great deal to this team and gives us an incredible opportunity to connect with more of our fans and honour the values that matter most to us.

“Facing Costa Rica will be a true measure of our progress, and immediately after, we step up to a world-class challenge against the world’s top-ranked team, the U.S.A., which is exactly where we want to be.”

Chukwu, a freshman at Notre Dame, was called up twice before by former Canada coach Bev Priestman but has yet to win a senior cap. The 18-year-old, who was born in England but grew up in Ottawa, has been a force at the youth level.

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Chukwu’s highlight-reel goal in the 122nd minute lifted Canada to a 3-2 win over Mexico in the championship game at the CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship earlier this month in Costa Rica.

She surpassed the previous Canadian youth scoring record of 27 goals, set by former Canada captain Christine Sinclair, in September at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia

Stoney’s 23-woman roster includes two Northern Super League players in AFC Toronto’s Emma Regan and Vancouver Rise FC’s Holly Ward.

Other collegiate players are Harvard’s Jade Rose and Michigan State’s Kayla Briggs. In all, there are eight players aged 24 or younger.

Veterans include captain Jessie Fleming, Vanessa Gilles, Julia Grosso, Jordyn Huitema, Ashley Lawrence, Adriana Leon, Nichelle Prince, Kailen Sheridan, Janine Sonis and Shelina Zadorsky.

Zara Chavoshi, a 22-year-old Orlando Pride defender who made her senior debut June 3 in the 3-1 win over Haiti in Montreal, gets another call-up. So does 28-year-old Montpellier defender Marie Levasseur, who ended a 33-month absence from the senior side when she earned her 11th cap in the game against Haiti.

Vancouver Rise veteran midfielder Quinn, who has won 106 caps for Canada, was not selected.

Canada has won all 17 previous meetings with Costa Rica, outscoring the Central Americans 53-6. But they needed a 104th-minute goal to dispatch Costa Rica 1-0 the last time they met, in March 2024 in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF W Gold Cup in Los Angeles.

Canada also needed a spectacular save from Sheridan, who had been a spectator for most of the match, in second-half injury time to preserve the win. The Canadian No. 1 kicked out her right foot to deny substitute Alexa Herrera in a rare Costa Rica attack.

Canada had blanked Costa Rica 3-0 in the group stage at the tournament.

Canada is 4-53-9 all-time against the U.S. in a rivalry that dates back to 1986 when the Canadian women’s program was established. The Canadian women have not won on American soil since Nov. 11, 2000 (a 3-1 friendly win in Columbus, Ohio).

In their most recent meeting, last April at the SheBelieves Cup in Columbus, Ohio, the two teams played to a 2-2 draw before the U.S. won a penalty shootout 5-4. The Americans also won by penalty shootout in the game before that, the CONCACAF W Gold Cup semifinal in March 2024.

Canada’s last win over the U.S. was a 1-0 decision in the Tokyo Olympic semifinal in August 2021. That was the Americans’ first loss to their northern neighbours since March 2001, in the group stage of the Algarve Cup.

The Canadian women are 5-1-1 under Stoney and are coming off a pair of wins over No. 50 Haiti in the May-June international window.

Unavailable due to injury are defenders Kadeisha Buchanan, Sydney Collins and Jayde Riviere, and forwards Olivia Smith and Cloé Lacasse.

Canada Roster

Goalkeepers: Sabrina D’Angelo,  Aston Villa (England); Lysianne Proulx, Juventus (Italy); Kailen Sheridan, San Diego Wave (NWSL).

Defenders: Gabrielle Carle, Washington Spirit (NWSL); Zara Chavoshi, Orlando Pride (NWSL); Vanessa Gilles, Bayern Munich (Germany); Ashley Lawrence, Chelsea (England); Marie Levasseur, Montpellier HSC (France); Jade Rose, Harvard University (NCAA); Shelina Zadorsky, West Ham United (England).

Midfielders: Marie-Yasmine Alidou, Portland Thorns (NWSL); Jessie Fleming, Portland Thorns FC (NWSL); Simi Awujo, Manchester United FC (England); Kayla Briggs, Michigan State University (NCAA); Julia Grosso, Chicago Red Stars (NWSL): Emma Regan, AFC Toronto (NSL).

Forwards: Annabelle Chukwu, University of Notre Dame (NCAA); Jordyn Huitema, Seattle Reign (NWSL); Adriana Leon, San Diego Wave (NWSL); Nichelle Prince, Kansas City Current (NWSL); Janine Sonis, Racing Louisville (NWSL); Evelyne Viens, AS Roma (Italy); Holly Ward, Vancouver Rise FC (AFC).

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 18, 2025

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press