AFC Toronto lands Canadian forward Mya Jones on season-long loan from NWSL's San Diego Wave

Despite the frigid temperatures and multiple snow storms this past week in Toronto, former Canadian youth international Mya Jones is happy with her decision to pursue her budding professional soccer career on home soil. 

The 23-year-old Calgary native, fresh off a successful rookie campaign with the NWSL's San Diego Wave, has signed with AFC Toronto of the Northern Super League on a season-long loan. 

"Coming back to my home country and being able to play in front of Canadian fans and help this founding team was a really big deal to me," Jones told CBC Sports on a recent call from Toronto, where she arrived on Valentine's Day in between snow storms.  

Jones made the jump to the top tier of professional women's soccer in the United States after impressing with the University of Memphis and Canada's youth national teams at the under-15, U-17 and U-20 level. 

Taken 42nd overall by the Wave in the 2024 NWSL Draft, Jones made 12 starts and 19 appearances last year, registering two goals for the club. 

With Memphis, she scored 26 goals and assisted on 27 more in 93 matches. During her time with the Tigers, the program won three straight AAC titles and went to five NCAA tournaments. Individually, she was named the AAC Championship Most Outstanding Offensive Player and the AAC Offensive Player of the Year.  

"Mya is another quality addition to our group and we are thrilled to be welcoming another Canadian talent back home," said Billy Wilson, AFC Toronto's Sporting Director. "She is a player who is comfortable operating in several positions in the forward areas and has the ability to both create and score goals."

Jones describes herself as a relentless hard worker. 

"I'm very driven to get on the ball. I'm a creative player,"