In the coming weeks, we will see Christine Sinclair leave the soccer field for the last time.

We just don’t know when exactly.

On Friday, nearly a year after Sinclair retired from international play, the Portland Thorns will honor the star forward during the team’s regular season finale.

It’s also possible that Friday marks Sinclair’s last football game.

Last month, she announced she was retiring from professional soccer at the end of the current National Women’s Soccer League season. The Thorns are tied for seventh in the standings heading into the final week of the regular season, tied with Bay FC on 31 points and three points ahead of ninth-place Racing Louisville. The top eight teams in the league qualify for the playoffs.

While nothing is guaranteed, Portland comes into the driver’s seat this weekend – just one point would secure the club’s 10th all-time playoff berth, an NWSL record. Even a defeat could see them move on if the results of Bay FC or Racing’s final matches go in favor of the Thorns.

It all feels anti-climactic when it comes to saying a final goodbye to Sinclair.

Will it come Friday? Perhaps, in a cruel double blow to Thorns fans with a playoff elimination. Or it could happen when the playoffs begin next week. Or the week after. Or it might not happen until late next month, if the Thorns qualify for the NWSL Championship.

And then there’s a feeling of déjà vu because, yes, this is technically Sinclair’s second retirement.

Last December, Sinclair wore Canadian colors one last time during an international friendly match against Australia. In front of nearly 50,000 spectators at BC Place in Vancouver (renamed Christine Sinclair Place for the occasion), the native of Burnaby, British Columbia, left the field one last time for the Canadian national team, replacing her teammate long-time Sophie. Schmidt in the 57th minute.

In many ways, it’s unusual for the ever-humble Sinclair to experience two retirements, especially when compared to other recent high-profile players whose retirement tours went like Groundhog Day. American striker Carli Lloyd announced her retirement in August 2021, and every match for the next three months for Gotham FC and the US national team took place under the umbrella of the “Carli Lloyd Farewell Tour”.

Sinclair would have been happy to simply disappear from public view, to leave the field without announcement or recognition.

But perhaps to her great regret, she will have one last moment in the spotlight.

While Sinclair’s farewell to professional soccer doesn’t have the finality of his international departure (unless Portland makes the NWSL championship game), let’s focus on what we do know.

First, let’s look at Sinclair’s resume over her 25-year career: 190 international goals, most by a female or male player ever; three Olympic medals, including gold at the Tokyo Games; six World Cup appearances; a second place and a Golden Boot at the 2002 U-19 Women’s World Championship.

Sinclair also has two NCAA titles and two MAC Hermann Awards as the best collegiate women’s soccer player, two WPS (Women’s Professional Soccer) titles, three NWSL championships and 65 NWSL regular season goals, the third most all time .

For the accolades alone, she deserves a double retirement.

Second, as beloved as Sinclair is by Canadians, she is just as beloved in Portland. She has been a Thorn since the NWSL’s inaugural season in 2013, and her origin story has become well-known in women’s soccer circles.

Shortly after the 2012 Olympics, Sinclair was about to hop on a plane to sign with European giant Paris Saint-Germain when she heard rumors of a new women’s professional league in the United States ( after the closure of the WPS after the 2011 Games). season), but a team in Portland.

For her, the choice was simple. The opportunity to play in Portland was too good to pass up.

His ties to the city run deep. She had two uncles who played for the Portland Timbers. She played four seasons at the University of Portland, scoring 110 goals in 94 games and winning two national titles.

Before the first NWSL season, she and other players were asked to submit a list of their top three choices for an NWSL club. Once again, Sinclair’s choice was simple. She submitted her list of three clubs: Portland. Portland. Portland.

Even though Sinclair has performed all over the world, his hometown of Burnaby will always remain closest to his heart. And right next door is Portland.

She spoke at length about her love for her home away from home. She repeats the joke from the TV show Portlandia that Portland is where young people go to retire. But it’s easy to see why Sinclair fell in love with Portland, with its laid-back vibe reminiscent of Vancouver.

Sinclair still vividly remembers his first home game at Providence Park, with the supporters group, the Rose City Riveters, already filling the stands during the team’s warmup. Portland averaged just over 13,000 fans during the NWSL’s inaugural season, nearly three times as many as the next closest team.

“I knew what was possible in this city and I knew how much the fans loved football,” Sinclair said.

Even if Friday doesn’t mark the definitive finale for Sinclair, it’s a chance for Portland fans to honor Sinclair for all she’s given to the city over more than a decade. Regardless of the outcome of the game, Friday will be the last time Sinclair takes the field at Providence Park, his last opportunity to receive a celebratory rose from the fans.

Last year was a little different when it came to Sinclair’s impact on club and country. Canada has a new captain in Jessie Fleming. Last summer at the Paris Olympics, the national team played its first major tournament without Sinclair since 1999.

Even in Portland, Sinclair is no longer the focus. American forward Sophia Smith leads the team with 11 goals and six assists. Becky Sauerbrunn has worn the captain’s armband for most of the season (although Sinclair has always been captain of her team, especially in recent matches).

In some ways, this must have felt like a dream season for Sinclair. She always tried to avoid the spotlight. It’s not easy to do when you’re the top scorer in the world.

At 41, perhaps for the first time in her career, she can calmly go about her business. And even though her time on the field has been reduced, she continues to experience unforgettable moments.

Earlier this month, in her penultimate match at Providence Park, she helped Portland to a 2-0 win over the then-undefeated Orlando Pride, keeping the Thorns in the playoff race with a fine strike from the top of the surface.

Four days after that goal, Sinclair played one final match in Vancouver, when the Thorns traveled to BC Place to face the elite Whitecaps women’s team in the CONCACAF W Champions Cup.

There is no doubt that Canadian soccer fans – not to mention Sinclair herself – believed that this December 5 match for Canada was the last time Sinclair would lead her team onto the field at BC Place. But surprise, she had one more opportunity with her beloved Thorns and led her team to victory, notably scoring a final goal on Canadian soil.

His career is full of these moments, both for Canada and for Portland. And they are always supported by an unwavering humility and an unquestionable commitment to never accept anything other than the best in herself, not because she craves the spotlight, but because her drive to see his team success is unmatched.

So yes, Canadian fans, Portland fans, and soccer fans in general, get ready to say goodbye to a legend – even if we don’t know exactly when his career swan song will be, and even if you already have said goodbye last year.

Because that’s what she deserves.