Across all sports, there are certain players that can simply take over a game.
The type of athlete where fans don’t need to understand the X’s and O’s to know something fantastic is about to happen when the puck is on their stick, or the ball is at their feet.
Foothills Women’s Football Club midfielder Mya Jones is one of them.
While those in the Calgary soccer community know it, coaches say it’s high time the rest of the country paid attention.
“She’s one of the most exciting dynamic attacking players in the country,” Foothills WFC Head Coach Lee Tucker said. “I’m not talking about, Calgary and Alberta, I mean in Canada. This girl needs an opportunity.”
Jones leads Foothills WFC with six goals in seven games this season- including a hat trick in a dominant win over St. Albert’s Impact FC on July 3rd.
During the school year, she’s dazzled in strong campaigns with the University of Memphis Tigers, earning the 2021 conference Midfielder of the Year award to go along with her 2019 conference Rookie of the Year win.
While her primary focus right now is the United Women’s Soccer League and her university squad, Team Canada will always be on her radar.
“I’m really starting to become more of an attacking threat, looking to score more goals,” Jones said. “I’m just going to keep playing and doing what I’m doing. I’m enjoying soccer- I love soccer- so if one day I do get that opportunity, then that’s fantastic.”
She’s previously represented Team Canada at the U20, U17, and U15 levels and captured gold at the CONCACAF Championship in 2014.
Now 20 years old, Jones’ next step would be to join the big squad and play alongside players she admires like Janine Beckie, Jessie Fleming, and of course, the GOAT: Christine Sinclair.
“It’s a great environment,” Jones added. “It’s very competitive, it’s new people coming in and out all the time, so it’s hard to get in there. Hopefully, I’ll get the opportunity eventually with the full national team.”
In the UWS–the second tier of the US soccer pyramid behind the National Women’s Soccer League–Jones is already going up against NCAA stars, former professionals, and former national team members.
Without a women’s pro league in Canada, it’s essentially the highest level she can play.
“She’s always had the ability, always been the ‘prospect’ and the ‘potential,'” Tucker added. Now we’re just seeing it. Even if she gets that opportunity, she’ll have to go and prove it and go into that environment and that process starts all over again.”
Jones is off to Tennessee to prepare for her senior NCAA season with the Tigers and hopes to re-join her Foothills teammates for the UWS National Championship later this month.