Canadian international defender Vanessa Gilles has joined French powerhouse Lyon on loan from the NWSL’s Angel City FC.
The loan comes with a Lyon option to buy the 26-year-old from Ottawa.
In coming to Lyon, Gilles joins the club that used to be home to Kadeisha Buchanan, her partner at centre back with Canada. Buchanan moved to England’s Chelsea in July after 5 1/2 years at Lyon.
Gilles has won 22 caps for Canada, including 19 starts, and was part of the gold-medal team in Tokyo.
The move marks a return to France for Gilles, who joined Angel City last December in a transfer from FC Girondins de Bordeaux, where she had played since July 2018.
Gilles played collegiate soccer at the University of Cincinnati, joining League1 Ontario team West Ottawa SC before signing in early 2018 with Apollon Ladies FC of the Cypriot First Division.