Allysha Chapman says goodbye to Canada with 100 caps and an Olympic gold

Allysha Chapman picked a round number to say goodbye. The 37-year-old left-back earned her 100th cap for Canada on Monday, 12 October, and it was her last: she had announced she would retire from international football after the friendly against Denmark at BMO Field in Toronto. She came on in the 89th minute and was honoured on the pitch after the final whistle.

The result did not match the occasion, as Denmark won 4-3. But the night belonged to her, one of the faces of the generation that took Canada to the top of the Olympic podium.

Bronze in Rio, gold in Tokyo

Chapman, from Courtice, Ontario, made her senior debut in 2014. Since then she played at three World Cups (2015 on home soil, 2019 and 2023) and two Olympic Games, winning two medals: bronze at Rio 2016 and gold at Tokyo 2020. She also scored two goals for her country.

Her farewell came with a twist: she arrived at this FIFA window on 99 caps, without having played for Canada since 2023. She was called up for these friendlies, and head coach Casey Stoney described reaching 100 caps as "a tremendous achievement", according to TSN.

Her club career tells a story of its own: she came through LSU, turned professional in Sweden (Sirius and Eskilstuna United), played for the Boston Breakers and the North Carolina Courage in the NWSL and now plays for the Houston Dash. Her retirement is from international football only.

A seven-goal game

On the pitch, Canada struck first: Delaney "DB" Pridham opened the scoring in the 10th minute with her first senior international goal. Denmark turned it around before the break, with two goals from Olivia Holdt and one from Pernille Harder in the 27th minute. In the second half, Evelyne Viens pulled one back in the 49th, Janni Thomsen restored Denmark's two-goal lead in the 61st and Olivia Smith made it 4-3 in the 70th.

"I think there were some off-moments tonight that cost us dearly," Stoney said, according to The Canadian Press. The series against Denmark had started on Friday in Montreal with a 1-1 draw, after which Canada won an unofficial penalty shootout 4-2.

What comes next for Canada

This was the final tune-up before what really matters. Canada open the Concacaf W Championship against Panama on 28 November, in a tournament that hands out places at the 2027 World Cup in Brazil and the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Chapman will not be part of that journey, but she leaves with what few achieve: 100 caps, three World Cups and an Olympic gold medal.

Sources: TSN / The Canadian Press, Canadian Soccer Daily, Waking The Red, Les Nouvelles du Foot.