Sinclair’s late goal gives Canada an Algarve triumph over Denmark By Steven Sandor Posted on March 1, 2017 Comments Off on Sinclair’s late goal gives Canada an Algarve triumph over Denmark 0 1,014 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Christine Sinclair PHOTO: BOB FRID/CANADA SOCCER On a Canadian roster packed with young players, it was more of the same. Another winning goal from Christine Sinclair; she scored her 166th career goal for Canada, to give our women’s national team a 1-0 win over Denmark Wednesday in the opener of the Algarve Cup. It wasn’t a vintage goal; Deanne Rose’s cross to the centre of the Danish penalty area was handled like a live grenade by Denmark’s defender, and the ball fell to Sinclair — who only needed to smash the ball home. But, considering she had a series of good scoring chances during the game, getting the garbage goal was just deserts. Sinclair is second all-time in FIFA scoring, and we can only wonder where she’d be if: Canada had the wherewithal to book a bunch of home friendlies against clearly inferior opponents that serve to pad the stats of the national team (cough, USA, cough). More power to the Americans for being able to translate the success of their women’s national team into year after year of revenue-generating home friendlies. But we have to concede that it puts their players in a unique position to bolster their numbers. It’s apples to oranges when comparing the stats of Abby Wambach or any American star to Sinclair. Sinclair played in a program that had far more offensive muscle throughout the team, where she wasn’t looked upon to get the only goal in a 1-0 win; a role she’s played for many, many years. Sinclair has borne the weight of a program. Sinclair has seen many from her generation’s class of players retire; she’s now mentoring the likes of Rose and striker Janine Beckie. We have to question if Diana Matheson, the Canadian veteran who has so often linked up with Sinclair for goals in the past, will recover from a serious knee injury that will keep her out for the year. Yet, Sinclair still scores — and hasn’t received the international recognition that she should. Put her on the American team, she’d be on cereal boxes and needing to buy a warehouse in which to store all her FIFA and CONCACAF awards.
