PLAYER PROFILE – Zoe Burns, a defender (right-sided fullback or wingback) for AFC Toronto, was born on January 5, 2002, in Issaquah, Washington, U.S. However, both her parents are Canadian. Her mother was born in Naranda, Quebec, while her father was born in Oshawa, Ontario.
Zoe Burns: The U.S. Defender That Has Canadian Heritage
Childhood and Her Love for Writing Songs
The bilingual defender speaks English and French, and grew up in the U.S. She started her youth career playing for Eastside FC (Eastside Football Club) and enjoyed singing and acting while growing up in the U.S. Her favourite sports growing up were soccer, martial arts, and gymnastics. Additionally, her favourite athletes are Lionel Messi and Simone Biles, and her favourite team is FC Barcelona, according to the Canada Soccer Website.
Zoe Burns said in her “Whatever Will Be, Will Be” piece for the House of Victory website about the influence of her father and mother:
Years later, while being with AFC Toronto, she wrote the Official AFC Toronto Theme Song, which was “In The 6ix,” as mentioned on the AFC Toronto website.
This is what Burns said about the theme song, seen in the video above, according to the AFC Toronto website:
“AFC Toronto is confident and competitive; we know who we are and what we bring to the pitch as a group,” she said. “We wanted to capture the feeling right before you are about to start the game. The hype, fire, and intensity, while also keeping it creative and fun, because at the end of the day it’s a game we all love.”
Burns has ties to Canada and Toronto and wanted the song to feel “confident, competitive, and connected to our home,” according to the AFC Toronto website.
She played for the United States U16 team and recorded one assist in the final game to clinch the title for the UEFA Development Tournament Championship in Portugal in 2018.
USC Trojans (University of Southern California Trojans), (2020-22)
Burns played in all 14 games and started six in her rookie season, scoring one goal and dishing out two assists.
She would make a big jump in her sophomore season, where she played in 20 games and started in 18 of them. In that year, she was fourth on the team with 1,589 minutes played. Burns also helped her team get eight shutouts throughout the season and was mainly an outside back.
She had one goal and one assist in her sophomore year, including scoring the game-winning goal against Utah.
Then, in her last year as a college player, she started all 15 games for the Trojans. She scored three goals and dished out one assist. Her seven points were good enough to be seventh on the list. She played a total of 1,142 minutes in the year. She also scored a goal and an assist against UC Irvine on September 15. Most notably, she scored against the UCLA Bruins on November 14, in a 2-0 win to upset the #1 seed to close out the season.
In 2021, she earned the All-Pac-12 second team recognition, and then again in 2022. She was also named to both the All-Pac-12 second team and the All-Pacific Region second team.
Source: USC Trojans Website
Zoe Burns talked about playing at USC Trojans, where she said this according to The Butterfly Mindset Podcast, hosted by Cyrus Mohseni:
“Honestly, the college game these days at a lot of schools, thankfully, is pretty professional,” Burns said. “I was lucky enough to be at a school that, you know, they wanted to prepare you for the pro life. Um, and so it, it’s pretty similar as scheduling at least, except now I don’t have school to worry about. It’s pretty great, ’cause I can really like focus. So that’s really good.”
Burns would start off her professional career with the Utah Royals of the NWSL, as she was drafted 29th overall by them in the 2024 NWSL Draft.
Utah Royals (2024)
For Burns, playing with the Royals meant reuniting with someone who was an assistant coach of the USC Trojans, Amy Rodriguez. Rodriguez then became the head coach of the Royals, where Burns would play most of her games, according to Sean Walker of Salt City Soccer:
“Amy’s a winner; I knew that the second she got to USC,” said Utah rookie outside back Zoe Burns, who played for Rodriguez during her brief tenure as an assistant coach at her alma mater. “When she coached us, we had the luxury of getting to train with her, and she was the most fantastic example of what a professional player is. I know she’s going to bring what she brought at USC and in her career to coaching us here. We’ve already gotten a glimpse of it, and it’s exactly what I expected.”
This sentiment seemed to be mutual with the Royals organization. This is what Sporting Director Kelly Cousins said about Burns according to the Salt Lake City FC website:
“I have been extremely impressed with Zoe since she has come in. Zoe is a player who has attributes to become a top-level player,” said Sporting Director Cousins. “She is fast, agile and has an engine to get up and down the pitch. Alongside her physical attributes, Zoe has a strong technical base which will aid her in possession qualities and could really develop into a high-level, all-rounded full-back. Zoe is very determined to be at the top level, and I am excited to watch her grow and develop.”
She played 24 games for the club, including making her NWSL appearance as a substitute on April 12 against Orlando Pride FC. Unfortunately, there was some turmoil within the club itself, as the coach, Rodriguez, was fired midway through the season. Still, she made an impact on the team, starting in 16 of those 24 games.
She then played for FC Fleury 91 (women) for three games in 2025 before deciding to play for AFC Toronto, where she remains.
READ MORE: Sarah Rollins: A Key AFC Toronto Defender
AFC Toronto (2025-Present)
AFC Toronto signed Burns last year in a mid-season acquisition. This is what AFC sporting director Billy Wilson said about Burns, according to The Canadian Press:
“Adding a right-sided wingback was always going to be a priority for us this summer, so we are delighted to welcome a multi-faceted talent like Zoe to Toronto,” Wilson said in a statement.
READ MORE: Zoe Burns Has A Memorable Game at York Lions Stadium
Burns is a key player for the club and has started many of the games while she has played in the Northern Super League (NSL). Her most well-known game might have been her scoring two goals against the Calgary Wild FC in a 2-0 win on August 30, 2025, at McMahon Stadium.
This is what Burns said about her performance according to the AFC Toronto website:
She also scored the opening goal for AFC Toronto in the 2026 NSL season, where they defeated Vancouver Rise FC by a scoreline of 3-2.
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Zoe Burns: The Reliable and Mature Defender
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Zoe Burns has so far played two games for the CANWNT back in 2022. This is what then head coach of the CANWNT, Beverly Priestman, said about her, according to John Molinaro of Sportsnet:
“The likes of Zoe Burns, an under-20 player, she’s stepped in, and you wouldn’t know she’s never been in this environment,” Priestman said.
Burns was on the roster for the pair of friendlies against Nigeria in April. She made her debut as a second-half substitute on April 11. She would then be on the 2022 Concacaf W Championship roster, where Canada finished second, just behind the eventual winners, the U.S.
Games Coming Up For AFC Toronto
AFC Toronto will travel to face the Montreal Roses FC on Sunday, August 16, 2026. It will take place in Ontario’s capital at BMO Field at 3:00 pm ET. The game will be televised in Canada on TSN and RDS2, and it will also be shown in the U.S. on ESPN+.
Photo Credit: Sean Pollock for AFC Toronto on June 28, 2026, of a Zoe Burns Headshot.
