Allysha Chapman will pull on the maple leaf one final time on Monday night, the 37-year-old fullback set to win her 100th cap in a farewell friendly against Denmark at Toronto’s BMO Field. Three years after a forgettable World Cup exit in Melbourne, the Courtice, Ontario native returns for a send-off that reflects a career defined by grit, longevity and an old-school defending mentality that left opponents battered and teammates inspired.
A pit bull in the backline
Casey Stoney never coached Chapman, but the England great remembers the challenge all too well. “I just remember she was so hard to beat, so tenacious, so gritty,” Stoney told reporters on Sunday. “She left it all out there. And the mentality that she brought to the team still remains. It’s like the core identity of this team.”
John Herdman, who guided the women’s programme from 2011 to 2018 before crossing over to the men’s game, puts it in starker terms. “One of the best one-vs-one defenders I’ve ever come across,” he said from Indonesia, where he now manages the national side. “She knew how to tackle but she also knew how to leave a little bit on the opponent to sort of remind them that they were in for a tough day. I can’t imagine any winger in world football wanted to play against her because she was just so tenacious.”
That reputation was forged in fire. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Chapman separated her shoulder in the quarter-final victory over France. Most would have been ruled out for the tournament. Chapman came off the bench in the bronze-medal match against Brazil, helping Canada to a 2-1 win. Bronze in Rio became gold in Tokyo five years later, the pandemic-delayed 2020 Games crowning a generation that Chapman anchored.
The Chappy factor
Off the pitch, the player known universally as “Chappy” was the dressing-room glue. “She was just always one to crack the funniest jokes,” said veteran centre-back Shelina Zadorsky. “But the thing with Chappy is you knew what you were going to get on the field – it was a 100-per-cent effort, grit, determination and she’ll never give up. That kind of player is so valued.”
Chapman’s last appearance for Canada came in that 4-0 round-robin loss to co-host Australia at the 2023 World Cup, a result that ended Canada’s campaign in the group stage. She has not been in the national team environment since. “It’s a little bit strange,” she admitted. “I haven’t been in the [Canada] environment in a long time. So I feel like’s everything new and I feel like I’m 18 again coming into a national team camp. A lot of new faces. There’s excitement and there’s also a little dread, because this is really and truly the end. I’m just excited to be able to share it with my family.”
Around 25 to 30 family members and friends are expected at BMO Field, where Canada Soccer reported roughly 11,000 tickets sold as of Sunday. The opener in Montreal on Friday drew an announced 10,162 to Saputo Stadium, a match that finished 1-1 after Olivia Smith’s 84th-minute equaliser before Canada prevailed 4-2 on penalties. Zadorsky was the only starter to play the full 90 minutes; Stoney expects fewer changes for the Toronto leg.
A new chapter, a new cycle
Monday’s fixture closes one chapter and sharpens focus on the next. The CONCACAF W Championship kicks off on November 28 in Mansfield, Texas, where ninth-ranked Canada open against 56th-ranked Panama. The winner advances to a semi-final against either Mexico (28th) or Haiti (47th). Jamaica (41st), Costa Rica (43rd) and El Salvador (78th) round out the field.
The stakes are considerable. The top four nations qualify directly for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil. The two finalists plus the third-place finishers secure spots at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Should the second-ranked United States reach the last four — a near certainty — all four semi-finalists would earn Olympic berths.
There is a subtler objective, too. Canada are hunting the FIFA ranking points needed to break into the top eight and secure a seeded position in the World Cup draw. Every match between now and then carries weight.
Why it Matters
Chapman’s farewell is more than a ceremonial lap of honour; it is a public acknowledgment of the standards that built Canada’s golden era. As the programme transitions under Stoney toward a new World Cup cycle, the values Chapman embodied — relentless one-on-one defending, willingness to play through pain, leadership leavened with humour — remain the benchmark. How the next generation internalises that identity will determine whether Canada can sustain its place among the world’s elite, starting with a CONCACAF campaign that offers no margin for error.
