Julia Grosso

Biography

In her Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020, Julia Grosso scored the goal in the penalty shootout against Sweden that clinched the gold medal for Canada. Grosso had come into the final after halftime, making it the fifth match of the tournament in which she had seen action.

Grosso earned her first senior cap in 2017, coming on as a sub during a friendly against Team USA. She scored her first international goals at the 2022 CONCACAF Championship, helping Canada earn a second-consecutive silver medal at the tournament and a spot at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Grosso had been named to the roster for the 2019 World Cup but did not appear in any games. She made her World Cup debut in 2023, starting all three matches as Canada failed to advance past the group stage. She went on to be part of the team that defeated Jamaica in the Concacaf Olympic Playoff in September 2023. In 2023 she helped Canada reach the semifinals of the first Concacaf Gold Cup. 

Grosso has played in three SheBelieves Cup tournaments, highlighted by Canada’s runner-up finish in 2024. She had won her first senior international medal at the 2019 Algarve Cup.      

Grosso made her international debut as a member of the U15 Canadian team at the 2014 CONCACAF Championships. She helped Canada win a gold medal, defeating Haiti on penalties in the final. She joined the U17 squad for the 2016 CONCACAF Championship and was named to the tournament’s Best XI team as Canada came away with a bronze medal and qualified for the U17 World Cup later that year. She started all three games for Canada at the World Cup, but they bowed out in the group stage. 

She began 2018 with the U20 team, just missing out on a podium spot and World Cup qualification at the CONCACAF Championships. She rejoined the senior team for the 2018 Algarve Cup and started three games for Canada at the senior CONCACAF Championships, as they won silver and earned their spot at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Grosso played collegiately for the University of Texas where she was named the 2018 Big 12 Freshman of the Year. She was a Third-Team All-American as a sophomore in 2019 and a three-time conference all-star. 

Grosso turned pro in 2021 with Italian club Juventus, winning the treble in her first season (Serie A title, Italian Cup, Italian SuperCup) and reaching the quarterfinals of the Champions League. The next season she was named the Serie A Best Midfielder and won the Italian Cup for a second time. Her team won the SuperCup again in 2024.

A Little More About Julia

Getting into the Sport: Started playing soccer at age 5… Likes the creativity soccer requires as well as the team aspect and the culture around the game… Has wanted to represent Canada since watching the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup on home soil… Represented Team BC at the 2017 Canada Summer Games where she was selected to the tournament all-star team… Outside Interests: Enjoys reading, listening to music, playing volleyball, swimming at the lake, and being out on the boat with friends… Odds and Ends: Biggest inspiration has been her dad, Carlos, because he continues to push her and motivate her to get better… Always has pasta as a pregame meal and always puts her equipment on left to right… Collects keychains everywhere she travels… Favourite motto: “There is a beauty in the struggle”