I am not a soccer fan.
I’ve never really grasped the rules of soccer, and I don’t fully understand the strategy behind it. With that said, I am not ignorant of the sport. I know some of the names, who the powerhouse countries are, and I respect the athleticism needed to perform at the highest level of soccer.
But what I watched last Friday morning was historic, that much I do know.
For some reason, I was drawn to watch the Canadian national women’s team’s playoff games during the Tokyo Olympics. Maybe it was the fact they were winning that drew me in, or that it was what was on when turning on the TV the past week or so. Whatever the reason, I found myself entertained.
The more I watched, the more I learned about the players and the inspiration for many of them, Christine Sinclair.
While I don’t follow soccer, let me say this: I knew of Christine Sinclair, but I had no idea just how good she is.
A quick Google search educated me on her greatness. I had no idea that a Canadian footballer, as the diehards say, is the world’s all-time leader for international goals for men or women (187 goals) and has played in more than 300 international games for Canada. She is also the second player ever, man or woman, to score at five different World Cups.
And up until Aug. 6, she had never won a gold medal.
Aside from the fact that it was Canada competing for the gold against Sweden, I found myself rooting for the team to win for Sinclair.
Sinclair added to her legacy during the game, drawing a penalty that led to Canada receiving a penalty kick. Jessie Fleming, who played the hero against the Americans in the semi-final, converted on her kick to tie the game 1-1. Without that play by Sinclair, who knows if we are talking about a gold medal today.
When Sinclair was taken out of the game – arguably the biggest game of her career – she sat on the sideline, cheered her teammates on, and watched as a new generation of Canadian footballers took charge.
Recognizing the importance of the game, I sat down with my kids to watch the penalty kicks.
Stellar play by goalkeeper Stephanie Labbé, who was dubbed the new National Minister of Defence on social media, kept Canada in the game during penalty kicks.
Julia Grosso – one of the kids, at age 20, on the team who grew up watching Sinclair – was the hero in penalties, scoring to win the game for Canada.
At that moment, the Canadian team erupted into cheers, including Sinclair.
So did the 4.4 million Canadians watching at home, including me and the kids.
Not only were we cheering for Team Canada, but we were also cheering for Sinclair – the greatest Canadian soccer player of all time – for winning the gold medal.
It was a historic moment in Canadian sports, one that will surely see a spike in registrations and interest for soccer across the country.
Grosso said watching Sinclair play years ago was her inspiration to play competitive soccer. No doubt a little girl was watching the game last week who is now inspired by watching Grosso, Labbé et al win gold.
And that’s a good thing for Canadian soccer.
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Mike Wilson is the editor of Midwestern Newspapers. Comments and feedback are welcome at mwilson@midwesternnewspapers.com.
