TORONTO 鈥� Canadian midfielder Sarah Stratigakis tells a familiar story in signing with AFC Toronto
"I'm very excited. Finally, to have a chance to play professionally in Canada," said the 26-year-old from Woodbridge, Ont. "Playing in front of my family, my friends, my hometown, it means the world to me."
Stratigakis was also sold by the pitch from Toronto sporting director Billy Wilson and coach Marko Milanovi膰.
"I really align with their values and their vision for the team," she said in an interview. "I just see it as a place where I can get better as well. I really want to (put) my stamp on that team."
Stratigakis can start training with Toronto in July, but can't play until after July 20 when the transfer window opens. Her last game was in May.
After a stellar collegiate career at Michigan, Stratigakis played overseas in Sweden (Vittsj枚 GIK), England (Bristol City) and France (Saint-Etienne).
"Playing abroad was probably one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my career," she said. "I've been all over. Each country offered new challenges, new expectations and style of play. I've definitely learned a lot from my time there."
The league in Sweden was "incredibly challenging," and her teammates were "high quality," she said.
"I was improving all the time," she added. "It was just an environment I enjoyed."
She counted Canadians Sabrina D'Angelo and Sura Yekka, a childhood friend and fellow former Wolverine, among her teammates in Sweden.
Stratigakis signed with Bristol City in January 2024, arriving midway through a difficult campaign that saw the club relegated after a 1-18-3 debut season in the English top tier.
"I'd always wanted to play in the Women's Super League," she said.
"Being a new promoted team is obviously a hard situation, but it was really cool playing against the Man Cities, the Arsenals of the world," she added. "That was really cool to grow my game."
She joined Saint-脡tienne in August 2024. The club went on to finish 10th in the 12-team French league at 5-15-2.
"It seemed like a good fit for me," she said. "I played loads of minutes. And it was cool that we made the Coupe de France semifinals. It was the first time, I think, in a decade that the team had accomplished that. So we had some highs, but of course in a football career, there's some lows as well. And it's how you overcome those moments."
At Michigan, she was named Big Ten Midfielder of the Year in 2019 and won the Big Ten tournament in 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 be in the centre of the action.
"I like to be on the ball. I can make things happen," she said when asked about her style of play.
Stratigakis has won five caps for Canada, including two starts, with one goal. At youth level, she represented Canada at three FIFA tournaments 鈥� the U-17 World Cup in 2014 in Costa Rica and 2016 in Jordan and the U-20 World Cup in 2016 in Papua New Guinea.
She was 17 when she made her senior debut for Canada in February 2017 in a 3-2 win over Mexico in Vancouver. Stratigakis came off the bench to score in stoppage time to give Canada a 1-0 win over Argentina at the SheBelieves Cup in Orlando in February 2021.
Her last senior appearance was against Wales in April 2021.
Stratigakis knows Toronto teammates include Victoria Pickett, Emma Regan, Kaela Hansen and Ashley Cathro from her time with the national team.
At Michigan, she graduated from the school of kinesiology with a major in sport management. Stratigakis has also started her coaching badges, having already obtained her UEFA 'C' licence.
Returning to Canada opens the door for her to continue those passions.
"Being in Europe, it's really hard to do anything but play for your team, because of language barriers and certain rules," she said. "The fact that I can come home and maybe start other parts of my life is another reason why it's great to have a Canadian league, so I can start thinking of things after football as well.:
AFC Toronto currently tops the six-team Northern Super League at 6-3-1 and, with 15 goals is second only to Ottawa Rapid FC (with 16) in scoring.
Shaina Ashouri left Toronto last week by mutual consent. The club said the 28-year-old forward, who made nine appearances for Toronto, left "to pursue new opportunities abroad."
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 25, 2025
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
