Former women’s team standout Kara Lang headlines the list of inductees into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame for 2015.
Lang was one of several former players who were officially announced as Hall entrants on Wednesday, alongside former men’s team defender Jim Brennan and goalkeeper Pat Onstad.
Born in Calgary, Lang made her debut for Canada as a 15-year-old in a match against Scotland on Mar. 1, 2002. She quickly became a mainstay with the national team, scoring 34 goals in 92 appearances, and helped Canada reach the semifinals of the 2003 Women’s World Cup in the United States when she scored two goals in six games.
In addition to appearing in two World Cups and the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Lang was also a collegiate standout at UCLA and played four seasons with the Vancouver Whitecaps of the old W-League.
But when she tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee in September 2009 while at UCLA — the exact same injury she suffered three years earlier — it marked the beginning of the end of her playing career.
On Jan. 5, 2011, Lang announced her retirement, citing persistent knee problems. She was only 24. Lang tried another comeback last year ahead of the recent Women’s World Cup, but another knee injury dashed her hopes one last time. Lang currently works as a broadcaster for TSN.
Brennan played 49 times for Canada and was a part of the CONCACAF Gold Cup winning team in 2000. He played for a number of teams in England before joining Toronto FC in 2007. He retired in 2010.
Onstad earned 58 caps for Canada, and enjoyed a lengthy, successful career in Major League Soccer—he won three MLS Cups and was twice named MLS goalkeeper of the year.
Other inductees include the Canadian Women’s Gold Cup winning team of 1998, John Kerr and Jim Hubay in the builder category, George Anderson in the pioneer class, and the Montreal Carsteel as an Organization of Distinction.
The 2015 Soccer Hall of Fame induction ceremonies will take place on Nov. 8 in Vaughan, Ont.
The Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum was opened in Vaughan at The Soccer Centre in 2000, and is operated by the Ontario Soccer Association.
Other notable ex-players who were previously inducted into the Hall of Fame include Craig Forrest, Jason de Vos, Bruce Wilson and Frank Yallop.