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18 hours ago
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Photo Copyright Soobum Im for Imagn Images
Portland Thorns forward and team captain Christine Sinclair announced her intentions to retire at the end of the National Women’s Soccer League season. Sinclair has played her entire NWSL career with Portland, where she landed as an allocated player in 2013, and won three championships including the league’s inaugural title.
“For me, I’m just proud that I’ve been able to call Portland my home throughout the entire journey and see the growth of the league, see the growth of this club, and then worldwide see the growth of women’s soccer,” Sinclair said in a video released by the team.
The Thorns are currently in seventh place and in contention for a spot in the postseason with five regular season matches remaining. The final home match in that slate is scheduled for 7 p.m. PT on Nov. 1 against Angel City FC. The Thorns are planning to celebrate Sinclair’s accomplishments during that match although they have already updated their profile pictures on social media to “Thank you Sinc.”
During her career, the Thorns have finished in the top three nine times and won the NWSL Shield in 2021. She has played 195 matches with 64 goals and 17 assists. Ten of those goals were scored off of penalty kicks where she was nearly perfect going 10-for-13. She is one of just three players in NWSL history to play all 12 years with the same club.
Prior to playing in the NWSL, Sinclair won a USL W-League Championship with Vancouver Whitecaps and was a two-time champion in Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) playing with FC Gold Pride and the Western New York Flash. She was also a champion in the college ranks, winning two NCAA Division I titles with the University of Portland.
The 41-year-old, who won a gold medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics with the Canada women’s national team retired from international duty at the end of 2023 after 23 years and 331 caps. She is the world record holder for men or women with 190 international goals. Sinclair played in six FIFA Women’s World Cups and four Summer Olympic Games. In addition to winning gold in 2021, she retired with two bronze medals.
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