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, who was born in Châteauguay, Québec and raised in Ottawa.
In coming to Lyon, the former student at l'École Secondaire Publique Louis-Riel in Ottawa's east end 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 five and a half years at Lyon.
Gilles, who has a park named after her in Gloucester, 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 League 1 Ontario team West Ottawa SC before signing in early 2018 with Apollon Ladies FC of the Cypriot First Division.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2022.
