Christine Sinclair will be named Canada’s female soccer player of the year Thursday. It’s not much of a cliff-hanger – at this point they might as well name the award after her. Even in her off years she is clearly miles above the next best candidate and, as I pointed out yesterday, is a once in a lifetime talent. So, the wins are deserved.
Regardless, it makes for a boring debate each December. So, let’s assume that Sinclair is going to win and have a look at who the Non-Sinclair Canadian female player of the year (NSCFPOTY) is.
The candidates below the jump:
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5th - Kaylyn Kyle
Kyle might have had a slight slip back in 2011, but that shouldn’t be held against her too much. She is one of the most talented young players in the country and when she’s on her game she can play a box-to-box role as well as anyone. Like many, her World Cup was disappointing. In Kyle’s case the performance at the highest stage might have been the most disappointing of all – a testament to just how good she could be, but also why she can’t be the NSCFPOTY.
4th - Diana Matheson
It’s a bit of a cliché, but Matheson might be one of the best “pound-for-pound” players in the world. If only she were just a little bit more physically commanding she would be talked about in the same way Sinclair is. Regardless, she remains a very skilled and important player just the way she is. Matheson didn’t do anything out of the ordinary in 2011. She was just her normal, skilled self. That’s enough to put her in the NSCFPOTY discussion every year.
3rd - Karina LeBlanc
The veteran keeper looked as though she might be about to lose her spot as Canada’s No 1 before her heroics at the Pan Am Games re-established her as a key part of Big Red. In a year of frustration, it was LeBlanc ‘s gold medal penalty save that acted as a redemption moment for a frustrated program and it alone puts LeBlanc in the running for the NSCFPOTY award.
2nd - Sophie Schmidt
However, my pick for NSCFPOTY is the underrated Schmidt. She played in every game Canada was involved in this year and was the most consistent Canuck in Germany – she arguably was the only Canadian player to step up her game at the World Cup. Schmidt plays an unheralded, but vital, role in the midfield and she did it with distinction all year for both club (she was a WPS finalist with magicJack) and country.