Christine Sinclair remembers her first season in organised soccer. She was four years old playing for the South Burnaby Metro Club Bees. Her Burnaby team finished last after scoring one goal and losing every match. Yup, that was a big “0” in the win column.
Christine Sinclair remembers her first season in organised soccer. She was four years old playing for the South Burnaby Metro Club Bees. Her Burnaby team finished last after scoring one goal and losing every match. Yup, that was a big “0” in the win column.
Yet, Christine’s first season provided an active start to an elite career in Canada’s favourite summer sport. By 16, she made the jump to the national team – at the time the youngest player in Canadian team history. Ten years on, she remains one of Canada’s best female athletes and is again a nominee for the FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year award.
At the club level with FC Gold Pride, she led Women’s Professional Soccer in assists before finishing the season with a team trophy in the WPS Championship Final (she scored two goals in the final). At the national level, she helped Canada win the 2010 Cyprus Women’s Cup and is presently helping Canada in its qualification efforts at the 2010 CONCACAF Women’s World Cup Qualifier in Cancún, Mexico. She scored four goals in Canada’s big 8:0 win over Guyana on Sunday 31 October.
Every player on Canada’s team started their career at the minor level. Here is a look at the first club of Canada’s 24 players in camp in Mexico.
British Columbia:
Gurveen Clair – Sunshine Coast YSA
Karina LeBlanc – Golden Ears Angels
Sophie Schmidt – Abbotsford
Christine Sinclair – South Burnaby Metro Club
Brittany Timko – Coquitlam City Panthers
Emily Zurrer – Cowichan Valley
Alberta:
Stephanie Labbé – Spruce Grove Saints
Erin McLeod – St. Albert
Saskatchewan:
Kaylyn Kyle – Silverwood Rangers
Kelly Parker – Saskatoon Eagles
Manitoba:
Desiree Scott – Maples Cougars
Ontario:
Candace Chapman – Ajax United
Jonelle Filigno – Mississauga
Robyn Gayle – Mississauga Dixie Hearts
Christina Julien – Williamstown
Kara Lang – Oakville SC
Diana Matheson – Oakville SC
Brooke McCalla – Pickering SC
Carmelina Moscato – Dixie SC
Melissa Tancredi – Ancaster
Québec
Josée Bélanger – Coaticook
Marie-Eve Nault – Gazelles de l’ATS
Rhian Wilkinson – Lakeshore
Colorado
Chelsea Stewart – Real Colorado
Canada Soccer outlines return to soccer guidelines. The return to soccer guidelines provide member organizations with a five-step process, including a checklist of weighted questions known as the Return to Soccer Assessment Tool.