Canadian Olympic gold medalist Christine Sinclair of Burnaby, British Columbia is retiring as a professional soccer player according to Jeff Kassouf of ESPN on Friday at age 41. We all know what an unbelievable performer Sinclair has been internationally for Canada (an international record 190 goals including three Olympic medals), but she has also been remarkable over the years with the Portland Thorns of the National Women’s Soccer League.
Sinclair has been with the Thorns the last 11 years, and in that time has scored 70 goals in 197 games. She also played professionally over the years in Vancouver. Sinclair was with the Vancouver Angels of the Women’s Premier Soccer League in 2000, the Vancouver Breakers of the United Soccer League W-League from 2001 to 2002, and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC from 2006 to 2008. In that time, Sinclair scored nine goals in 10 games with the Breakers, and 10 goals in 21 games with the Whitecaps.
After Sinclair’s time with the Whitecaps, Sinclair played two seasons with FC Gold Pride in the Women’s Professional Soccer League in 2009 and 2010. She had 16 goals in 40 games. Then Sinclair played two seasons with the Western New York Flash of the United Women’s Soccer League from 2011 to 2012, where she had 10 goals in 15 games. Sinclair’s Olympic medals were a bronze at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, and the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, and gold at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021.
