VANCOUVER — “I think she’s the best all-around player in the world.”
That’s American forward Abby Wambach. No, she’s not the subject of the above quote, but she is the source of it, talking about Canada’s Christine Sinclair. High praise coming from the first soccer player, male or female, to ever be named AP Athlete of the Year, as Wambach did in 2011.
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“I think she’s probably the most underrated player in the world. She should get more attention.”
Again, another direct quote from Wambach. Only four women in the history of the game have scored more international goals than Sinclair’s 120. She’s also just 28 years old. Now for the “underrated” part: Sinclair has yet to ever finish in the top three of voting for the FIFA Player of the Year.
To find the reasons to explain Sinclair’s lack of impact on the world stage, it’s appropriate to look at those in her sport that have left an indelible mark on the game. Sinclair doesn’t have the charisma of a Mia Hamm, or the outward passion of a Marta. However, the clearest and easiest explanation is this: Hamm, Germany’s Birgit Prinz, and Japan’s Homare Sawa — all former FIFA players of the year — have Olympic Gold medals and/or World Cup crowns.
When talking with some of Sinclair’s teammates over the past few months, some of them said they felt “responsible” for their captain’s relative anonymity on the world stage. They were convinced that if they had given Sinclair more support (and achieved more success) in big events, then she would be winning major awards, “year after year.”
And actually, there is some historical evidence to lend credence to that argument:
— Playing on a talent-laden team in college at the University of Portland, Sinclair won two NCAA titles, and two NCAA Player of the Year Awards
— She has played the last two WPS seasons alongside Brazil’s Marta. Not surprisingly, they won the WPS title both seasons
So, the question, as we enter the “later stages” of Sinclair’s career, is this: Should we expect anything to change?
Let’s get one thing out of the way: don’t expect her to start lobbying for more exposure by hamming it up for the cameras. That’s not Sinclair’s style. The former Academic All-American is very intelligent and she is certainly not shy, as some would suggest. Her personality and sense of humour, in my opinion, were on full display when she sat down with Sportsnet’s Stephen Brunt in November (shameless promotion: that interview airs during the Canada/Haiti pre-game show).
But the overwhelming characteristic of her personality is her humble nature, and she will never want to talk about herself for any extended period of time.
On the field, Karina LeBlanc, Canada’s longest-serving player, thinks the arrival of new head coach John Herdman has spurred a change in Sinclair’s game.
“For many years it was, ‘let’s kick it to Sincy, and let’s hope we score.’ She was just the answer for us,” LeBlanc said. “With John coming in, we’re playing soccer, and we have different options. I think she’s learning a different role and she’s becoming a complete player where she’s not dangerous just in finishing.”
This too, passes the initial laugh test. Sinclair is indeed learning to become a great playmaker in her later years. Over the last two seasons, no player in the WPS can match her 17 assists. And Herdman does seem to be envisioning a slightly different Sinclair as well.
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In November, he was quoted as saying, “I honestly believe (Sinclair) could be dominant anywhere on the field.” Seems as if he’s going to test that theory a little bit. Sinclair is expected to start the first game of this Olympic Qualifying tournament playing at the tip of the midfield diamond, setting up teammates Melissa Tancredi and Christina Julien up front.
A change in style is one thing, but has the talent level improved (or will it ever improve enough) around Sinclair? In many ways, her path is very similar to Steve Nash’s in international basketball: A quiet leader that’s recognized as one of the greats in their sport tries to overcome various obstacles, including: a lack of domestic interest; and a lack of financial support. Nash never pushed past those barriers and carried Canada to a podium finish in a major international event.
Could Sinclair? The answer will probably come from her teammates.