After leading Canada to gold at the Tokyo Olympics in August 2021, captain Christine Sinclair came to a realization.
“After Tokyo, deep down inside, I knew I didn’t want to play in Paris,” she said, referencing the 2024 Olympics. “The way the Tokyo Olympics ended, you can’t beat it.
“I wanted to give it one more shot for the World Cup, just because I really thought we could be successful there and we hadn’t been successful in a long time at World Cups.”
It wasn’t to be. Canada came home early from Australia this summer, failing to make the knockout round in Sinclair’s sixth trip to the soccer showcase.
It was not the ending she wanted.
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So Sinclair kept going, helping Canada qualify for the Paris Olympics last month in a 35-minute cameo off the bench in the second leg of the 4-1 aggregate win over Jamaica. But the 40-year-old from Burnaby, B.C., is now calling time on her Canada career, saying she will retire from international football at the end of the year.
“I can sit here and know that I’ve literally done everything I can and given all of me to this national team since I was 16 years old,” she told The Canadian Press. “In terms of what I’ve done and knowing the work I’ve put into it, I have zero regrets. I know I’ve done everything I can for as long as I can. And the team’s in good hands moving forward.”
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While calling an end to her Canada career, Sinclair plans to play one more season for the NWSL Portland Thorns next year.
Sinclair, the world’s all-time leading scorer with 190 goals from 327 senior appearances, is expected to play four more games for 10th-ranked Canada, starting with two friendlies later this month against No. 9 Brazil — in Montreal on Oct. 28 and Halifax on Oct. 31.
Canada Soccer is expected to announce two home more games for the last FIFA international window of the year, which runs Nov. 27 to Dec. 6. A source said one of the games will be in Vancouver against 11th-ranked Australia. The other game is expected to be in the same region against the same opponent.
Four home games will allow Sinclair to say goodbye on home soil.
“That just made my decision very easy,.” she said. “Playing for the national team as long as I have, we have not been able to play at home a lot. It will be special for me.”
Sinclair celebrates after a goal in 2003. (Associated Press)
‘It’s just time’
Sinclair is clearly at peace with the decision.
“For me it’s just time,” she said. “I’ve started to catch myself thinking about going on vacation, spending time with my family, going to my cabin — that five years ago would never have crossed my mind. But at the same time, it excites me to play professionally [for Portland] but where you have one thing to focus on. It just seemed like time.”
Sinclair has been the face of Canadian soccer for a long time, a world-class talent with down-home values. Not one to seek the spotlight, she did most of her talking on the pitch.
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She made scoring goals look easy, by simply putting the ball where the goalkeeper isn’t.
“She doesn’t do anything outrageous,” Canadian forward Janine Beckie said in 2020. “Like she’s not the kind of player that flicks the ball over her head, juggles it five times and hits it upper 90 [top left or right of the goal]. There are those kind of players but they are up-and-down players.
American Brandi Chastain, left, battles for the ball with Sinclair in a 2000 exhibition match. (AFP via Getty Images)
“She’s the most consistent strikers I’ve ever played with because she’s one of the most simple that I’ve ever seen. She does all the fundamental things to the best of her ability.
“You don’t really notice her too much until she puts it in the back of the net,” added then-Canada coach Kenneth Heiner-Moller. “But if you go to some of our sessions, you can see how hard she is working to be that unnoticeable player that puts a shift in, then all of a sudden turns up in the penalty area.”
Sinclair also helped the Canadian team craft an environment that welcomes young and old — and everything and everyone in-between.
Sinclair says she would like to get into coaching after she retires for good, although not as a head coach.
“That’s seem awful and stressful and something that doesn’t interest me at this point,” Sinclair said with a laugh. “But the thought of being a unit-specific coach, like for the strikers for instance, is something that excites me.
“But then at the same time when I do stop playing for good, I know I’m going to have a lot of opportunities and options.”
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Difficult lead-up to World Cup
Sinclair endured a difficult lead-up to the World Cup, as captain of a team battling its governing body in a lengthy labour dispute that has yet to be resolved.
“Obviously there’s still a lot of work to be done, in terms of the pipeline for youth players and youth national teams and a professional league,” she said. “I still have that fear that if we don’t change some things, we’ll get left behind as a program. But in terms of the players that are there, they’re fine. They’re going to be great,”
Having said that, Sinclair says the competition is getting tougher. The recent World Cup showed that are more top contenders than ever before.
It has been a long haul in Canadian colours.
Sinclair made her senior debut at 16 — then Canada’s youngest-ever player — in March 2000 in a 4-0 loss to China at the Algarve Cup. She scored her first goal two days in her second senior outing, beating star goalkeeper Bente Nordby in a 2-1 loss to Norway.
Sinclair had already impressed at youth level, scoring 27 goals in 19 international matches. Ten of those goals came during Canada’s run to the final of the FIFA U-19 Women’s World Championship in Edmonton in 2002.
Sinclair broke Abby Wambach’s world-record total of 184 goals on Jan. 29, 2020, with her second goal in a 12-0 romp over St. Kitts and Nevis at the CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship at H-E-B Park in Edinburg, Tex.
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The record-tying goal came on a penalty kick in the seventh minute. The milestone 185th goal came in the 23rd minute as Sinclair, left alone, converted an Adriana Leon feed.
Never one to blow her own horn, Sinclair had been more worried that her record chase would serve as a distraction to the team.
Sinclair was playing in her 290th career game for Canada. Wambach, who retired in 2015, compiled her total in 255 games.
St. Kitts, then ranked No. 127 in the world, became the 41st country Sinclair had scored on.
Olympic legacy
Sinclair played in four Olympics, also leading the team to bronze in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.
Her hat trick in a 4-3 loss after extra time in the U.S. in the 2012 London semifinal remains an indelible memory for many. And after the loss, she rallied her downcast teammates in the locker-room.
It was a rare speech from the skipper.
“I think often the best leaders, they don’t say much but when they speak, people listen. Because they don’t say much,” said John Herdman, then coach of the women’s team.
“I get emotional every time I think about the speech,” said goalkeeper Erin McLeod.
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The Canadian women defeated France 1-0 in the bronze-medal game thanks to a Diana Matheson goal in stoppage time. The medal came 13 months after Canada finished dead last at the 2011 World Cup.
Sinclair’s role has changed in recent times.
She started games against Nigeria and Australia at the World Cup and came off the bench to start the second half against Ireland, helping turn the tide with fellow veteran Sophie Schmidt in a 2-1 comeback win.
Canada coach Bev Priestman praised her captain for her attitude and work ethic ahead of the World Cup, saying she did “brilliantly” in pre-tournament fitness testing.
Sinclair’s greatness was portended early in her career as she was awarded the Golden Boot for top scorer at the FIFA U19 Women’s World Cup in 2002. (Canadian Press)
She also credited Sinclair for continuing to evolve.
“She makes critical passes, is critical to this team,” Priestman said in July. “But what I do know is this team is no longer just about Christine Sinclair. I think we’ve got the depth across the forward line, the midfield line, to not rely on anyone for every single minute across the tournament and I think that’s what you’ll see [at the tournament].
“But I think she’s critical to this team’s success.”
Goal No. 190 came July 5, 2022, in a 6-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago at the CONCACAF W Championship in Guadalupe, Mexico.
Sinclair has been held off the scoresheet in the 16 games since, some of which saw her play in a more withdrawn midfield role. Of her 327 appearances for Canada, 312 were starts.
At 40 years, 38 days at the start of this summer’s World Cup, Sinclair was the second-oldest player at the tournament (behind Nigeria’s Onome Ebi’s 40 years, 73 days).
Sinclair had a penalty kick saved in the Nigeria game, which prevented her from becoming the first player — male or female — to score in six World Cups.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
Inter Milan winger Tajon Buchanan, recovered from a broken leg suffered in training at this summer’s Copa America, is back in Jesse Marsch’s Canada squad for the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal against Suriname.
The 25-year-old from Brampton, Ont., underwent surgery July 3 to repair a fractured tibia in Texas.
Canada, ranked 35th in the world, plays No. 136 Suriname on Nov. 15 in Paramaribo. The second leg of the aggregate series is four days later at Toronto’s BMO Field.
There is also a return for veteran winger Junior Hoilett, who last played for Canada in June in a 4-0 loss to the Netherlands in Marsch’s debut at the Canadian helm. The 34-year-old from Brampton, now with Scotland’s Hibernian, has 15 goals in 63 senior appearances for Canada.
Midfielder Ismael Kone, recovered from an ankle injury sustained on club duty with France’s Marseille, also returns. He missed Canada’s last three matches since the fourth-place Copa America loss to Uruguay in July.
But Canada will be without centre back Derek Cornelius, who exited Marseille’s win Sunday over Nantes on a stretcher after suffering an apparent rib injury.
The Canadian men will prepare for Suriname next week at a camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
“We are looking forward to getting the group together again with the mindset that there is a trophy on the line,” Marsch said in a statement. “We want to end 2024 the right way with two excellent performances against a competitive Suriname squad and continue building on our tremendous growth this past summer.”
The quarterfinal winners advance to the Nations League Finals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., with the two semifinals scheduled for March 20 and the final and third-place playoff March 23, and qualify for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Thirteen of the 23 players on the Canadian roster are 25 or younger, with 19-year-old defender Jamie Knight-Lebel, currently playing for England’s Crewe Alexandra on loan from Bristol City, the youngest.
Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies captains the side with Stephen Eustaquio, Jonathan Osorio, Richie Laryea, Alistair Johnston and Kamal Miller adding veteran support.
Jonathan David, Cyle Larin and Theo Bair are joined in attack by Minnesota United’s Tani Oluwaseyi.
Niko Sigur, a 21-year-old midfielder with Croatia’s Hadjuk Split, continues in the squad after making his debut in the September friendly against Mexico.
Suriname made it to the Nations League quarterfinals by finishing second to Costa Rica in Group A of the Nations League, ahead of No. 104 Guatemala, No. 161 Guyana and unranked Martinique and Guadeloupe.
“A good team,” Osorio said of Suriname. “These games are always tricky and they’re not easy at all … Suriname is a (former) Dutch colony and they’ll have Dutch players playing at high levels.”
“They won’t be someone we overlook at all,” added the Toronto FC captain, who has 81 Canada caps to his credit.
Located on the northeast coast of South America between Guyana and French Guiana, Suriname was granted independence in 1975 by the Netherlands.
Canada has faced Suriname twice before, both in World Cup qualifying play, winning 4-0 in suburban Chicago in June 2021 and 2-1 in Mexico City in October 1977.
The Canadian men, along with Mexico, the United States and Panama, received a bye into the final eight of the CONCACAF Nations League.
Canada, No. 2 in the CONCACAF rankings, drew Suriname as the best-placed runner-up from League A play.
Canada lost to Jamaica in last year’s Nations League quarterfinal, ousted on the away-goals rule after the series ended in a 4-4 draw. The Canadians lost 2-0 to the U.S. in the final of the 2022-23 tournament and finished fifth in 2019-20.
Canada defeated Panama 2-1 last time out, in an Oct. 15 friendly in Toronto.
Goalkeepers Maxime Crepeau and Jonathan Sirois, defenders Joel Waterman, Laryea and Miller and Osorio took part in a pre-camp this week in Toronto for North America-based players.
Canada Roster
Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau, Portland Timbers (MLS); Jonathan Sirois, CF Montreal (MLS); Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota United FC (MLS).
Defenders: Moise Bombito, OGC Nice (France); Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich (Germany); Richie Laryea, Toronto FC (MLS); Alistair Johnston, Celtic (Scotland); Jamie Knight-Lebel. Crewe Alexandra, on loan from Bristol City (England); Kamal Miller, Portland Timbers (MLS); Joel Waterman, CF Montreal (MLS).
Midfielders: Ali Ahmed. Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Tajon Buchanan, Inter Milan (Italy); Mathieu Choiniere, Grasshopper Zurich (Switzerland); Stephen Eustaquio, FC Porto (Portugal); Junior Hoilett, Hibernian FC (Scotland); Ismael Kone, Olympique Marseille (France); Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC (MLS); Jacob Shaffelburg, Nashville SC (MLS); Niko Sigur, Hadjuk Split (Croatia).
Forwards: Theo Bair, AJ Auxerre (France); Jonathan David, LOSC Lille (France); Cyle Larin, RCD Mallorca (Spain); Tani Oluwaseyi, Minnesota United (MLS).
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
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