INTERVIEW – Samantha Chang is an experienced professional soccer player who grew up in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). She was kind enough to give up some of her precious time to do this interview with the author of this website.
Part one will be about the teams Samantha Chang played for before the Northern Super League (NSL) kicked off their first ball in 2026. This includes information on her upbringing in the GTA, her role models, and her experience playing outside Canada.
Samantha Chang: An AFC Toronto Midfielder, Brought Up in the GTA
Samantha Chang: What It Was Like Growing Up in The GTA
1. How did you get interested in playing soccer?
Yeah, I think like a lot of kids in GTA and in Canada, I was put into soccer when I was really young, like three or four years old, in classic Timbit soccer. It’s kind of funny. My mom says I didn’t really like it at first, and she had to make me go to training, but honestly, I don’t even remember those days. I think from when I was playing on a rep team, I just absolutely loved it, I loved competing, I loved being a part of a team.
Yeah, for as long as I can remember, I’ve just absolutely loved the game.
2. Who is/was your role model growing up in Canada?
Yeah, I think that answer is similar to a lot of girls my age and even just a little bit older, but definitely Christine Sinclair. I think every young Canadian girl growing up is our GOAT (Greatest of All Time), and she always will be.
So, I think it was really easy to have such a humble role model in her. She’s one of the greatest of all time, so it’s very easy for me to look up to her.
3. Talk about your experience with the South Carolina Gamecocks?
Yeah, so that was the college that I went to. I went there for four and a half years, actually. I did my fifth year there. It was absolutely amazing. If I had to do college again, I would definitely choose to go there.
I got injured when I was in high school. I tore my ACL, so I went in with that injury. So, I had to redshirt in my freshman year, but it was really good to learn more about myself off the field, come back even stronger, and get used to college before I got used to the stress of playing at the D1 level. I have amazing memories from college with the SEC championships and NCAA tournament runs.
I think my favourite memory may have been when we won the SEC tournament in my senior year, when I was one of the captains, and I made the tournament’s best 11 team, or maybe in my junior year when I scored two goals in back-to-back games to help get the team to the elite eight, which was pretty cool. I made the elite eight twice when I was at school. So, to be such a big part of one of those runs was so amazing. It was so surreal.
4. What has playing in Europe, especially in Portugal and Denmark, helped you grow as a soccer player and as a person?
Yeah, I really liked my time in Europe. I think there were definitely pros and cons to playing overseas, but a big pro was getting to live in Europe. I absolutely loved the lifestyle in Portugal (Sport Clube União Torreense) and in Denmark (HB Køge Women). I got to travel a lot, which I’m super grateful for.
I met different Europeans from different countries that I had never really met before, so that was really cool.
There was also the soccer part. I learned a lot from those experiences. More than anything, I was able to prove to myself that no matter what country I was going to, I was able to be successful and become a starter and get lots of playing time, which isn’t the easiest thing for everyone.
So, the fact that I was able to go overseas and do that just kind of gave me a lot of confidence moving forward. Just playing with different players from different countries taught me a lot about playing style and just helped grow my knowledge of the game so much, being over there.
READ MORE: Sierra Cota-Yarde: A Crucial Goalkeeper for AFC Toronto
Samantha Chang: Experienced Midfielder Heading into the NSL
What this part of the interview provides is information about Samantha Chang’s background before she went into the NSL. She already had experience playing in high-level environments, such as with the University of South Carolina (South Carolina Gamecocks) and in Europe.
It also explains where she got some of her confidence from heading into the NSL, and why she was so successful last year with the Vancouver Rise FC.
READ MORE: 2026 CANWNT SheBelieves Cup Roster: Three NSL Forwards
She also had to overcome obstacles early in her soccer career. In 2018, Chang tore her ACL while playing for her high school team. This made Chang’s life as a freshman difficult, but it also helped her overcome adversity, as stated in Brad Muller’s South Carolina Gamecocks article:
“It was definitely really hard,” Chang said. “I had all these expectations to come in as a true freshman and be able to make an impact. That was very difficult. More than anything, the ACL rehab taught me what hard work and motivation can do for you. You really can achieve anything you set your mind to if you’re willing to work hard enough for it.”
The interview took place on February 18, 2026. A big thanks to AFC Toronto and Samantha Chang for making this interview happen.
Photo Credit: Sean Pollock of AFC Toronto, on Samantha Chang, on December 30, 2025.
