Was Tuesday night's Olympic-qualifying match at Toronto's BMO Field the last for Christine Sinclair on Canadian turf?
Possibly.
The Burnaby soccer icon was met with a loud standing ovation from a sold-out crowd of nearly 30,000 people Tuesday, Sept. 26, as she came onto the pitch in the 59th minute of Canada's match against Jamaica.
She didn't score or provide a point, but her experience aided the red and white to a 2-1 win — 4-1 on a two-leg aggregate — to clinch a spot at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, solidifying the Canadians' opportunity to defend their 2020 gold medal.
Sinclair has noticeably started recent international caps on the bench.
The Burnaby South Secondary alumna was a sub in two of Canada's three FIFA Women's World Cup matches in Australia and New Zealand this past summer.
Sports writers and pundits have pondered the question of how much longer Sinclair will compete with Canada's national women's soccer team as a younger wave of talent begins to roll in.
It's no doubt that Sinclair's longevity has been impressive as she will be the face of Canada Soccer long after she decides to retire.
The 40-year-old holds the record for most international goals, 190, by a female or male player.
"It's about the love of the game," Sinclair said earlier this month during the official grand "kick-off" of the Christine Sinclair Community Centre in Burnaby.
"I wouldn't have been able to play for over 20 years if I didn’t have it, and that love was forged on the [Burnaby Lake Sports Complex] fields right here, just me as a little girl playing with my friends or my brother and his friends because they let me play."
Sinclair has played more than 20 years with the senior national women's team, culminating in 327 caps, six World Cups and four Olympics. Paris 2024 will be her fifth, should she decide to play.
