Christine Sinclair

Early life

Born in Burnaby, British Columbia to Bill and Sandra Sinclair, Christine began playing soccer at the age of four for an under-7 team. She is the niece of former North American Soccer League players Bruce and Brian Gant. Sinclair played basketball, baseball and soccer as a youth. Playing in a Burnaby boys baseball league, she made the local under-11 all-star team as a second baseman. With the team, she chose the number 12 as a tribute to Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Hall of Famer, Roberto Alomar.

Sinclair was selected to British Columbia's under-14 girls all-star soccer team at age 11 and led club team Burnaby Girls Soccer Club to six league titles, five provincial titles, and two top-five national finishes. She attended Burnaby South Secondary School where she led the soccer team to three league championships. At age 15, she attended matches of the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup in Portland, Oregon. She played for Canada's under-18 national team before making her debut at the senior level at age 16 at the 2000 Algarve Cup where she was the tournament's leading scorer with three goals.

University of Portland Pilots (2001–2005)

In 2001, Sinclair arrived at the University of Portland where she made an immediate impact on an already formidable soccer program. She recorded 23 goals and eight assists in her first season, leading all freshmen in NCAA Division I total scoring. She was named Freshman of the Year by Soccer America, and was a consensus All-America selection.

During her second season with the Pilots in 2002, Sinclair led Division I in goals with 26. She scored two goals during the national championship game against conference rival Santa Clara, the second of which was a golden goal that won the Pilots the national championship. Sinclair earned three different national Player of the Year honours, and was a finalist for the Hermann Trophy. Named West Coast Conference Player of the Year, she earned All-American honours for the second consecutive year. In the wake of her success for the Canadian national teams and American collegiate soccer, she was named by The Globe and Mail as one of the 25 most influential people in Canadian sports the same year.

Sinclair chose to redshirt the 2003 season to play for Canada at the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup. She returned to Portland in 2004 and scored 22 goals for the Pilots. Following the season, she was named West Coast Conference (WCC) Player of the Year, received All-American honours, and was awarded the Hermann Trophy.

During Sinclair's senior year at Portland, she set an all-time Division I goal-scoring record with 39. She capped off her collegiate career with two goals in a 4–0 rout of UCLA in the national title game. This performance also gave her a career total of 25 goals in NCAA tournament play, also a record. She was named WCC Player of the Year becoming the second player in conference history to be honoured three times. Sinclair was also named Academic All-American of the Year by ESPN The Magazine after graduating with a 3.75 grade point average in life sciences. She was awarded the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy, becoming the fourth player and third woman to win it in back-to-back years. As a result of her record-setting season, Sinclair went on to win the Honda-Broderick Cup, as the college woman athlete of the year. She became the third soccer player to win the award, joining Mia Hamm and Cindy Daws. Sinclair finished her collegiate career with 110 goals and 32 assists in 94 games.

FC Gold Pride (2009–2010)

Sinclair was selected by FC Gold Pride eighth overall in the 2008 WPS International Draft for the inaugural season of top-tier American league Women's Professional Soccer (WPS). Despite her team-leading six goals, FC Gold Pride finished last in the regular season standings during the 2009 season.

Leading into the 2010 season, FC Gold Pride made several changes to their roster including adding Brazilian international Marta, French international Camille Abily, and United States national team defender and midfielder Shannon Boxx. During the team's home opener of the 2010 season against 2009 WPS champion, Sky Blue FC, Sinclair scored twice leading the team to a 3–1 win. She was named WPS Player of the Week for week 14 of the season after scoring two goals against second-place team, Philadelphia Independence. The team dominated the season finishing first during the regular season after defeating the Philadelphia Independence 4–1 with goals from Sinclair, Marta, and Kelley O'Hara.

As the regular season champion, FC Gold Pride earned a direct route to the championship playoff game where they faced the Philadelphia Independence. Sinclair contributed two goals to FC Gold Pride's 4–0 win to clinch the WPS Championship. Despite their successful season, the club ceased operations on November 16, 2010, due to not meeting the league's financial reserve requirement.

Western New York Flash (2011)

On December 10, 2010, expansion team Western New York Flash announced that they had agreed to terms with the Canadian striker for the 2011 season. Sinclair helped guide the team to the regular season championship, leading the club with ten goals and eight assists. On August 27, 2011, Sinclair was named MVP of the 2011 WPS Championship Final after the Flash won the championship in Rochester, New York. Sinclair's goal in the 64th minute gave the Flash a 1–0 lead over the Philadelphia Independence. When the game was forced to penalty kicks, Sinclair stepped up and completed the second one as the Flash players converted all five of their attempts.

Portland Thorns FC (2013–present)

On January 11, 2013, it was announced that Sinclair would play for the Portland Thorns FC for the inaugural season of the National Women's Soccer League via the NWSL Player Allocation. Playing as team captain, she appeared in 20 games in the 2013 season and tied with Alex Morgan as the top scorer on the team with eight goals. Sinclair was named the league's Player of the Month for the month of April after scoring two goals and serving one assist to help the team secure a 2–0–1 record.

After finishing third during the regular season, the Thorns advanced to the playoffs where they defeated second-place team FC Kansas City 3–2 during overtime. During the championship final against regular season champions Western New York Flash, Sinclair scored the final goal to defeat the Flash 2–0.

International career

Sinclair played for Canada's under-18 national team before making her debut for the senior team at age 16 at the 2000 Algarve Cup where she was the tournament's leading scorer with three goals. She scored seven goals for Canada at the 2002 CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup, tying her for the tournament lead with teammate Charmaine Hooper and USA's Tiffeny Milbrett, a fellow Portland alumna. The same year, she represented Canada at the inaugural FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship. Her record-setting ten goals in the tournament helped lead Canada to a second-place finish and earned her both the Golden Boot as leading scorer and Golden Ball as tournament MVP.

2003 FIFA Women's World Cup

At the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup, Sinclair scored three goals for Canada on their way to a surprising fourth-place finish, their best in that competition to date. During the team's first group stage match against Germany, she scored the first goal of the match in the fourth minute. Germany scored four goals to defeat Canada 4–1. After defeating Argentina 3–0, the team faced Japan in their last group stage match of the tournament. With goals from Sinclair and teammates Christine Latham and Kara Lang, Canada won 3–1 and placed second in their group to advance to the knockout stage. Canada faced China in the quarterfinal match on October 2 in Portland, Oregon and won 1–0 with the lone goal scored by Charmaine Hooper in the seventh minute. Having remained winless in all previous World Cup tournaments, Canada's advancement to the semi-final was a historic change for the team. Canada was defeated by Sweden in the semifinal match 2–1 and faced the United States in the third-place match where they were defeated 3–1 and finished fourth at the tournament. Sinclair scored Canada's goal in the 38th minute.

2007 FIFA Women's World Cup and 100th Cap

During Canada's first group stage match at the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup in China, the team faced Norway and were defeated 2–1. Sinclair scored a brace in the team's next group stage match against Ghana helping Canada win 4–0. She scored a goal in the team's final group stage match against Australia that resulted in a 2–2 draw. Canada finished third in their group and did not advance to the knockout stage of the tournament.

Sinclair made her 100th appearance on August 30, 2007, in a 0–0 friendly against Japan. On November 8, 2010, Sinclair scored the game-winning goal against Mexico in the final of the 2010 CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup.

2011 FIFA Women's World Cup

During Canada's campaign at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, Sinclair scored the team's only goal at the tournament in the 82nd minute in their first group stage match against Germany. Canada was defeated in all three of their group stage matches against Germany, France, and Nigeria and did not advance to the knockout stage.

2012 London Olympics

At the 2012 Summer Olympics, Sinclair broke the record of most goals scored in the Olympics for women's soccer, claiming the golden boot of the competition from two goals against South Africa, one against Great Britain, and three against the United States. She scored a hat-trick in a 4–3 extra time loss in the semifinal match against the American squad. Canada was unhappy with the performance of referee Christina Pedersen, who made a series of controversial decisions in favour of the Americans. Sinclair was ultimately fined a reported $3,500 and banned four matches for post match comments, which accused Pedersen of bias and deciding the result of the match before it had kicked off.

Sinclair subsequently finished the tournament as top scorer with six goals and led the Canadian women's national soccer team to a bronze medal with a 1–0 win against France on August 9, 2012. Her remarkable effort as team captain and her performance in the semifinal earned her the honour of Canada's flag bearer in the closing ceremony, as well as the Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Sinclair made her 200th appearance on December 12, 2013, scoring her 147th international goal in a 2–0 win over Scotland at the 2013 Torneio Internacional Cidade de São Paulo.

2015 FIFA Women's World Cup

At the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup hosted by Canada, Sinclair scored the team's only goal of the first group stage match against China, a 1–0 win, during a penalty kick awarded in the second minute of second-half stoppage time. Sinclair scored in the 42' in a losing effort against England in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup quarter-final. Canada lost the match 2–1.

Club

Honours

Sinclair has won three professional championships with three different teams: the 2010 WPS Championship with FC Gold Pride, the 2011 WPS Championship with Western New York Flash, and the 2013 NWSL Championship with Portland Thorns FC. She was named WPS Player of the Week three times: once in 2010 and twice in 2011. In 2011, she was named MVP of the WPS Championship Final. With the Canadian national team, she has won the 2010 CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup, a gold medal at the 2011 Pan American Games, a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympic Games, and a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. In 2002, she won silver with the Canadian team at the 2002 FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship.

Sinclair was the leading scorer at the 2012 Summer Olympics. In 2002, she was awarded the Golden Boot for most goals scored and the Golden Ball as the best player at the FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship. She was named Canadian Player of the Year 13 times in 2000, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2016 and nominated for FIFA World Player of the Year seven times in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, and 2016.

In 2012, Sinclair was awarded the Lou Marsh Award and Bobbie Rosenfeld Award. The same year, she received the Diamond Jubilee Medal and was named Athlete of the Year by Sportsnet. In 2013, was inducted to Canada's Walk of Fame and received an honorary degree from Simon Fraser University.

In 2015, she was featured on a Canadian postage stamp along with teammate Kadeisha Buchanan commemorating the 2015 Women's World Cup hosted in Canada.

Style of play

Widely regarded as Canada's greatest soccer player of all time, and as one of the greatest ever female soccer players, Sinclair is a fast, well-rounded, physically strong, and intelligent forward, known for her ball skills, athleticism, and technique. An accurate finisher, and a highly prolific goalscorer, she is a versatile and hard-working player, who is capable of playing both as a striker, and also as an advanced playmaker in midfield, due to her passing accuracy, ability to read the game, link-up with other midfielders, and create chances for teammates. Sinclair is also capable of scoring from free-kicks and penalties. In addition to her footballing abilities, she has stood out for her leadership and defensive work-rate throughout her career.

Television and film

Sinclair was the focus of a digital short documentary entitled, The Captain in 2012. She was featured in an episode of The Difference Makers with Rick Hansen the same year. In May 2015, she was featured in the TSN documentary, RISE along with the Canadian national team.

Magazines

Sinclair was featured on the cover of the June 2013 issue of The Walrus. She was featured in the June 8, 2015 issue of Sportsnet Magazine. She was featured on the covers of Ottawa Life Magazine (May/June 2015), FACES Magazine (December 2015), and Canadian Business (August 2016).

Other work

Sinclair was featured on the Canadian version of the EA Sports FIFA 16 video game. She was one of the first women to appear on the cover of an EA Sports game along with Portland Thorns FC teammates, Alex Morgan and Steph Catley.