Cloé Lacasse has been climbing a mountain her whole life.

Coming from a self-proclaimed “very small town” in Northern Ontario, Canada, the Utah Royals forward faced an uphill and sometimes winding journey to soccer success.

After four years of college soccer at the University of Iowa, Lacasse opted to start her professional career in Iceland in 2015.

The National Women’s Soccer League “was still very new and still kind of unstable,” Lacasse said. “I think for me, at that time, I wanted to grow my game. I kind of just wanted to develop in different areas, and I felt like going abroad was the best way to do that.”

The move to Iceland turned into almost a full decade in Europe for Lacasse, signing with Portuguese powerhouse Benfica in 2019 and then legendary English side Arsenal in 2023.

“I knew that was the stepping stone that I needed to continue growing,” Lacasse said of her move to Benfica. “I call it ‘climbing the mountain.’ At the time, I wasn’t playing for Canada, so it was just about improving my game and just kind of seeing where that would lead.”

The leap of faith paid off for Lacasse, making her first of 47 appearances for the Canadian women’s national team in 2021. After playing for Canada at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Lacasse decided to finally return to North America and make her NWSL debut in Utah.

Royal pains

Lacasse made a splash in her first season, leading Utah with four goals, despite playing in just nine games, and scoring the first hat trick in Royals history in October 2024.

The year ended on a down note, however, as Lacasse ruptured her ACL and sprained her MCL just one week after the record-setting performance.

She went through part of the ACL recovery process alongside teammate Tatumn Milazzo, and the two veterans returned to full strength this year to help the Royals achieve their best start to a season.

“It’s always good to have someone you can connect with on a one-on-one level and kind of be able to talk about certain things and what you’re experiencing,” Lacasse said of Milazzo.

Connecting with others is central to Lacasse’s focus at this point in her career, both in the locker room and in the community. After turning 33 on Tuesday, Lacasse says she is taking on more of a “leadership role” in forming and maintaining a culture of growth and belonging for Utah.

“Not just belonging, but also wanting to challenge yourself, and kind of always having that growth mindset,” Lacasse said. “I think that’s kind of what’s driven my career to what it is today: that I’ve always had that growth mindset, never settled, and I’ve always wanted more.”

Always wanting more

Part of that “more” involves the Royals, who saw a 10-game unbeaten streak come to an end on July 5 against the Chicago Stars, though they still sit in the top four in the NWSL standings.

But another part of it remains with the Canadian national team, which is still seeking qualification for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil. A win over Panama at the CONCACAF W Championship in November will secure Canada’s place.

“I think it’s an exciting time to be a Canadian soccer fan, because the men’s team just did so well (in the World Cup),” Lacasse said. “It kind of drives more momentum and more fandom around the Canadian team, especially now having the Women’s World Cup right around the corner.”

The Royals and Real Salt Lake have used this summer’s World Cup to connect with soccer fans at numerous events and watch parties around Salt Lake, including several meet-and-greet sessions at America First Field.

“We want to be able to connect with the people of Utah,” Lacasse said. “And I think Utah, the community itself, does such a great job of including us and (we want) to reach out and be a part of their culture as well.”

Lacasse and the Royals return to America First Field on Friday at 8 p.m. against reigning NWSL champion Gotham FC.

With a loss and two draws against the three teams above them in the standings, the Royals have plenty of elevation ahead of them and room for growth heading into the second half of the season.

Lacasse leads the Royals with five goals through 13 games, needing just five more over the remaining 17 games to become the first Utah player to ever score 10 goals in an NWSL season.