On the brisk spring canvas of Portland’s soccer saga, the Thorns have freshly inked a pact with the legend of the pitch, Christine Sinclair, for a celebratory dance that will span yet another season, her twelfth in the verdant hues of the Rose City’s pride.
At the age of forty, having gracefully hung up her boots on the international stage last yuletide, Sinclair’s undimmed fervor for the game is a testament to her eternal chase of excellence. The National Women’s Soccer League echoes with anticipation, as the peerless striker readies for another exuberant chapter in a storybook career.
In Sinclair’s own words, brimming with the promise of continuance, “I’m thrilled to be back at Portland for another year and be a part of this next era of women’s soccer in the Rose City.” Her voice carries the weight of legacy, the cherished bond between an athlete and her arena, her team, her supporters.
Hailing from the heart of Burnaby, BC, Sinclair’s last season’s dance card boasted 19 games, with her grace lending itself to three goals and a generous assist, a subtle reminder of a greatness undimmed by the relentless march of time.
Spoken with an intimate knowledge, Karina LeBlanc, the Thorns general manager, and Sinclair’s comrade-in-arms from their halcyon Canadian days, extolls the striker’s virtues, “Sinc has been with this club from the beginning, she is the foundation with which Portland Thorns is built on, and as much as she is a part of the DNA of the Thorns, the Thorns are part of her DNA.” The proclamation is an epitaph to Sinclair’s dedication to the nurturing of league and team alike.
Sinclair’s goal-scoring prowess, a tally unassailed at 62 across 176 vibrant appearances, coronates her the Thorns’ eternal scoring sovereign.
The chronicles of her Thorns tenure are graced with tales of triumph: three NWSL Championships in the seasons of 2013, 2017, and the recent vintage of 2022. She holds aloft the narrative of victory with the poise of a champion who knows the intoxicating perfume of success.
Her voyage in the maple leaf colours, stretching from the cusp of the millennium till 2023, places her at the zenith with 190 goals over 331 appearances – a legacy inscribed in the annals of sport with golden letters. Olympian gold now glistens on her already crowded mantlepiece, an irrefutable emblem of a journey marked by courage, grit, and a relentless pursuit of glory.
And so, the stage is set for Sinclair, the emblematic heart of the Portland Thorns, to dispense yet more moments of soccer sorcery for the denizens of the Rose City, as they rise, once more, in unison, to the rhythm of her indomitable footballing spirit.
