INTERVIEW – The second part of the interview with Samantha Chang primarily focuses on the Northern Super League (NSL) and her time with the Vancouver Rise FC. She is excited to play many games at BMO Field with AFC Toronto this year.
She also talked about her experiences with the national team, including her first appearance, and what that meant for her.
Samantha Chang: A Big AFC Toronto Midfielder Signing
Samantha Chang: Time at the NSL and the CANWNT/CANXNT
5. For you, was it a difficult adjustment becoming the captain of the Vancouver Rise FC mid-season, after Shannon Woeller’s unfortunate injury?
Yeah, I think it was definitely an adjustment. When I signed for that team, I wasn’t expecting to be captain and then to end the year off winning and being one of two to lift that trophy was so amazing. Couldn’t have written a better story about it, but I definitely was not expecting it.
When anybody gets injured, it’s really unfortunate, especially your captain. So, when the coach came to me and talked to me about stepping up and taking that role, I knew it came with a lot of responsibility, and it definitely was an adjustment. Thankfully, I had previous experiences before in my career being captain, whether that was like youth national team or college or overseas.
It was really just leaning on those experiences that I’ve had as a captain. I think the main thing that I had to do was just be confident in myself and know that, when you’re a captain, the eyes are always on you.
So, it’s always that extra responsibility to perform and give everything, and the team looks to you in times of hardship, so just take on that responsibility. But I learned a lot about myself as a leader, grew a lot in that role, and I’m super grateful for the opportunity to experience it.
6. What did it mean to you to be the captain of the team that won the first-ever Diana B. Matheson Cup?
It was so amazing. Like I said, I couldn’t have written it any better. Forever, I will be one of two captains who got to lift the trophy together. We were the first ever team to lift the trophy. Now, till the end of time, that will be true.
And I think looking back on it, when I’m done with my career, it’ll be even more amazing. It was surreal, that’s all I can really say. And I can’t wait for the day when I can look back and really appreciate those moments. because it really was history, and I’m so grateful that we as a team were able to finish our year off in that way.
Obviously, I ended up leaving Vancouver. So, leaving the team and the fans on the absolute high was just a storybook ending to that first year for that team.
7. There will be a split number of home season games at BMO Field and York Lions Stadium. How excited are you to play in both of these venues?
Yeah, I mean, it’s going to be absolutely amazing. I cannot even put into words how great it is that the AFC was able to secure half the home games there at BMO.
With the World Cup coming, it definitely confuses the schedule a little bit, so hopefully, fans will know it’ll be easy for them to figure out which home field we’re playing at and when, but it’s so amazing that we’re able to do that next year. I can safely say that that one of the most exciting parts looking into this 2026 year with Toronto is playing at BMO so many times, making it one of our regular homes.
I grew up going to Canadian women’s national team games at BMO and TFC games, so to be walking out as a home field player is just going to be unreal for the first time and playing there last year twice with Vancouver against Toronto, it meant a lot.
It’s just going to mean even more representing my hometown team in the hometown stadium that I grew up going to as a little girl.
8. In 2021, you played your first-ever game with the senior CANWNT/CANXNT at the 2021 SheBelieves Cup against Argentina. What did that moment mean for you?
Yeah, I think that whole call-up and getting my first cap was such a whirlwind of a month period. I wasn’t expecting to go into camp when I got the call, and I wasn’t expecting to get a cap, so to have all that happen within a month span is really just unbelievable. Forever, I will be able to say that I played for the full senior team, and not many players can do that.
I am definitely proud of that achievement, but as a soccer player at an elite level, you always want more.
It is still my dream to play for Canada at a major tournament. So, although I’m really grateful and happy to have gotten that cap and gotten two others since then as well, we’re always wanting more.
Definitely getting back on that team is in my goals and in my sights, and that was an amazing moment for me. It was just a lifetime of hard work, honestly, leading up to that moment, playing for Canada when I was like 14 years old, putting on the badge for the first time, to then putting on the badge for the senior team. It was always a goal of mine to play for the senior team.
So, to actually accomplish that was something truly special.
READ MORE: Samantha Chang: A Homegrown Player from the GTA (Part One)
Samantha Chang: First-Ever Captain of a NSL Championship Team and the CANWNT/CANXNT
From this interview, one can gather that Chang is grateful for all the opportunities she has earned but is not resting on her laurels. In particular, she wants to earn more appearances with the CANWNT/CANXNT.
READ MORE: Vancouver Rise FC Wins The First-Ever Diana B. Matheson Cup
From talking to Chang, there is a great level of excitement about playing at BMO Field this year, representing AFC Toronto. She did mention that she played two times at BMO Field, as a player on the away side, with the Vancouver Rise FC, including the 2025 NSL Final.
READ MORE: Samantha Chang: CANWNT and Vancouver Rise FC Midfielder (Article Written in Early 2025)
With the departure of the first-ever captain of AFC Toronto, Emma Regan, to the Denver Summit FC, Chang is a needed presence in the midfield.
Billy Wilson, the AFC Toronto sporting director, was full of praise for Chang and what she can provide for the club, according to the Canadian Press:
“I think she’s different from our current midfielders,” said Billy Wilson. “She’s very versatile. She can play as that No. 8 (a box-to-box midfielder). She can also hold (play as a defensive midfielder).”
Expect Chang to have a similar style of play with AFC Toronto this year.
The interview took place on February 18, 2026. A big thanks to AFC Toronto and Samantha Chang for making this interview happen.
