Diana Matheson’s biggest moments on the football pitch were
\u200bas big as they come. Whether it was her assist in the FIFA Women’s World Cup
\u200bUSA 2003 Quarter-finals to knock out the defending runners up China PR or her
\u200blast-minute, winning goal against France to capture a historic bronze medal at
\u200bthe London 2012 Olympic Games, Matheson was always at the heart of Canada
\u200bSoccer’s Women’s National Team’s greatest achievements.
She won back-to-back Olympic bronze medals, a Concacaf Championship, a Pan American Games gold, and finished a Canada-best fourth place at that FIFA Women’s World Cup USA 2003. In all, she played at four FIFA Women’s World Cups, three Olympic Games, won medals at six Concacaf tournaments, and made more than 200 international “A” appearances. This year, she hangs up her boots after 18 years with Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team.
That historic goal at the London 2012 Olympic Games,
\u200bhowever, will forever be remembered as her signature moment.
Thank you Diana #CANWNT pic.twitter.com/BVWDmoyh4l — Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) July 7, 2021
With just 10 seconds left in the match, Matheson scored the
\u200bwinning goal that secured Canada Soccer’s first of back-to-back bronze medals,
\u200balso the country’s first in a Summer Olympic Games team sport in 76 years. She
\u200bscored on a rebound, just moments after she played Sophie Schmidt into the box
\u200band Schmidt’s shot deflected off a defender into her pathway. A nation erupted
\u200bback home and Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team celebrated their first
\u200bOlympic bronze medal moments later when the referee blew the final whistle.
Said Matheson later that year, “this has been one of the
\u200bmost incredible years of my life. I still look back on what we were able to
\u200baccomplish as a team in London and what it has meant to all of Canada and for
\u200bthe growth of soccer in the country.”
Matheson played at the senior, professional and
\u200binternational level for 20 years, also winning Canada Soccer’s National
\u200bChampionships with Oakville SC in 2002 and the Norwegian Toppserien in 2012
\u200bwith Lillestrøm SK. She reached the Norwegian Cup final in 2009, was one of the
\u200bfirst Canadians to feature in UEFA Women’s Champions League in 2009-10, and
\u200breached the NWSL Cup in 2016 with the Washington Spirit. Over the course of her
\u200bcareer, she also played with Toronto Inferno, Ottawa Fury, Seattle Reign and
\u200bthe Utah Royals / Kansas City. At the university level, she was a standout at
\u200bPrinceton University.
With Canada, she was just 18 years old when she made her
\u200bdebut in the youth program in 2002 and still 18 when she made her international
\u200b“A” debut on 18 March 2003 with Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team. She
\u200bscored her first goal on 15 June 2003 against Mexico and then got that historic
\u200bassist on Charmaine Hooper’s winning goal at USA 2003, beating the giants China
\u200bPR to reach the FIFA Women’s World Cup Semi-finals for the first time.
She made 206 international “A” appearances, scored 19 goals and 25 assists. She once set a Women’s National Team record by playing 45 consecutive international “A” matches and was Canada’s co-leader with 16 international matches at the Olympic Games. Alongside Sinclair, she was also one of only two Canadians to score in three different decades (2000s, 2010s, 2020), with her last goal scored in her last international match on 10 March 2020.
“Representing Canada has been the greatest honour of my life
\u200band I can’t believe my playing days have come to an end,” said Diana Matheson.
\u200b“I’m so grateful for all the incredible people I have met along every step of
\u200bthe way and for the Canadian fans for being such a huge part of the journey. I
\u200bknow this will be an emotional time for me, but I’m truly excited for what’s
\u200bnext and for continuing to be a part of the growth of women’s soccer in
\u200bCanada.”
“Diana has had a massive impact on Canada Soccer’s Women’s
\u200bNational Team program,” said Bev Priestman, Canada Soccer’s Women’s National
\u200bTeam Head Coach. “Not only has she been a great leader for this team both on
\u200band off the pitch, she also inspired an entire nation during her incredible
\u200bcareer. The winning goal at the London 2012 Olympic Games will forever be a
\u200bturning point moment in the history of this program. We all wish her the best
\u200bin her next adventure.”
Along with all her goals and records, Matheson has already
\u200bbeen honoured twice as part of the London 2012 Olympic team, first as the
\u200bCanadian Press Team of the Year in 2012 and later as celebrated by the Canadian
\u200bOlympic Hall of Fame in 2019. Named to Canada Soccer’s All-Time XI women’s team
\u200bin 2012 as part of Canada Soccer’s centennial celebrations, she received the
\u200bQueen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 and had a street in Oakville named after
\u200bher in 2017. Three times a runner up in voting for Canadian Player of the Year,
\u200bshe was an NWSL Best XI midfielder and Washington Spirit team MVP in 2013. She
\u200balso led Canada in minutes played three times and ranked second with 16,715
\u200bcareer minutes played with Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team.