Posted on January 28, 2012
By Michael Lewis
TropiGol.com Editor
VANCOUVER — Christine Sinclair played yet another outstanding game for the Canadian National Team on Friday night.
And the sun also rises.
Sinclair again was at the top of her game, scoring twice to lead Canada into the London Olympic Games with a 3-1 win over Mexico at the CONCACAF qualifying tournament at BC Place.
She extended her tournament goal-scoring lead to nine goals in only four games.
Sinclair can add to her lead on Sunday when Canada meets United States for the CONCACAF crown. The Americans also clinched a place in London behind a 3-0 victory over Costa Rica in the first game of the doubleheader before an Olympic qualifying record crowd of 22,954.
The Canadian supporters in the crowd did not leave the building disappointed.
There were many ways to describe the 28-year-old midfielder-forward’s performance.
Perhaps Mexico coach Leonardo Cuellar put it best. “Canada is a very good side without the exception of Sinclair, who is in another world,” he said.
“The way she smells the play. The savvy. No question one of the best players in the world.”
Indeed, not a question at all.
“Broken nose. Broken ankle. She’ll play with anything,” Canada coach John Herdman said. “She is a special player. You have to start talking about the players behind her. There’s more to this team than Sinclair.”
There’s certainly no doubt about that, especially Melissa Tancredi, who scored one goal and set up both of Sinclair’s goals.
Still, it was difficult to forget Sinclair on the night she moved past German great Birgit Prinz (128) on the all-time women’s international goals list. She is tied with U.S. striker Abby Wambach for No. 3 on the list, trailing only the U.S.’s Mia Hamm (158) and Kristine Lilly (130).
Now, that’s some heady company.
The modest Sinclair, who admitted she did not know she had reached that milestone, took the good news in stride.
“With Abby, she’s just a tremendous talent,” she said. “It is an honor to be sort of at the same level as her. To past Birgit — she is one of the world’s best to ever play — I have so much respect for her for what she did in her career. It’s just an honor.”
Some fans might say the same thing about watching Sinclair perform.
Sinclair lifted Canada into the 15th minute as she beat goalkeeper Cecilia Santiago from nine yards off a Tancredo feed.
Tancredi doubled the lead in the 23rd minute, connecting from six yards.
After the Mexicans sliced the lead in half on Veronica Perez’s score in the 67th minute, the dynamic duo went into action in the 6th minute. This time Tancredi sent the onrushing Sinclair a long ball from the left side. Sinclair split two defenders, forced Santiago out of the net before lobbing the keeper from the penalty spot to restore the two-goal margin Canada never relinquished.
“It was incredible. We’ve had quite the connections in this tournament,” Sinclair said. “When she’s healthy, she’s such a force out there. She takes so much attention away from me.”
Since their winless, first-round elimination in last summer’s Women’s World Cup, the Canadians have rediscovered that spirit again under Herdman.
“The World Cup was disappointing for us,” Sinclair said. “For the most part it was disappointing for the world except for Japan. When John came on board, he brought the passion back to our team. I we showed that tonight.
“We’re just a team that will never give up. It’s that something’s John’s brought to this program, just the fight. When we gave up that goal in the second half. I think we would have collapsed. We just kept going and kept battling and got the third goal that closed out the game.
Photo: Christine Sinclair’s brace boosted Canada over Mexico, 3-1. Scott Bales/YCJ
Categories: Canada, Mexico, North America, Olympic Qualifying, Women
Tags: Abby Wambach, Birgit Prinz, Christine Sinclair, CONCACAF women's Olympic qualifying tournament, Kristine Lilly, Melissa Tancredi, Mia Hamm
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