Should Christine Sinclair retire from the CWNT?

[_Vic_]

On 6/23/2020 at 6:53 PM, SthMelbRed said:

So, we'd have had a professional, women's football league 50 years ago if the CSA hadn't been prioritising men? We've had a national men's league for just 7 of those 50 years.

I purposely strayed from the word professional because it makes people mental. Professionalism is as much an approach as a a financial framework. Women all over the world train in professional club environments five days a week for peanuts. Again if you build it they will come and that's been proven all over the world.

We'd have something by now if the women's side of the sport was run by people dedicated in thought and focus on the women's game.

I respect anyone's opinion to disagree, but when it comes to club infrastructure and activating the private sector in women's soccer in Canada, we have utterly and completely failed miserably. And who and why is wasted energy, the only question is how do we change it.

[The Ref]

Desiree Scott pulls out of the NWSL Challenge Cup for personal reasons.

[Bison44]

8 minutes ago, The Ref said:

Desiree Scott pulls out of the NWSL Challenge Cup for personal reasons.

Well that sucks.  

[Patrick]

Desiree Scott gets paid either way.  Just like Megan Rapinoe or Tobin Heath, they can sit out and still get cash.  This is another reason I have so much respect for Christine Sinclair.  The WPSL may not survive Covid but some players care enough to play.  As always, fuck Megan Rapinoe, the selfish, classless *****.

[_Vic_]

I believe Scott was the first allocated player to opt out of the NWSL when she signed for Notts. I've always seen her as very classy and a great role model for CIS/Usport athletes. Hope she's back on the field soon.

[Rocket Robin]

September 2020 issue of World Soccer cover story  'The 500 most important players on the planet'   Publication originates from England.  

Christine Sinclair made the list (players listed alphabetically) .  I noticed only 8 females made the list and  3 Canadians.  (Jonathan David and Alphonso Davies were the others).   

mags comment with photo:  

Christine Sinclair   Portland Timbers & Canada  'With 186 goals in 296 games, the 37-year-old is the top-scoring and most-capped international footballer of all time - what else is there to say?' 

 

[_Vic_]

The 2018 list is here:  https://www.worldsoccer.com/world-soccer-500

Edited August 13, 2020 by _Vic_

[nolando]

[Kent]

Let's re-evaluate the original question for this thread. Should Christine have retired in 2018? Let's see, since then...

1. She became the all time leading goal scorer in international soccer.

2. She won an Olympic gold medal.

3. She is up for the Ballon d'Or.

I think she made the right decision to not retire.

[TGAA_Star]

Sinclair has virtually done it all. I think she wants to win a FIFA Women's World Cup and then she calls it a career.

[Kent]

Apparently Ronaldo also got this award. It appears to be some kind of lifetime achievement award, not necessarily given out every year. It might be specifically to recognize Sinclair and Ronaldo breaking the all time goal scoring records. If anyone understands better please fill me in!

https://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/article/christine-sinclair-honoured-special-award-fifa/

 

[chalms04]

Christine Sinclair has signed a contract extension through 2022, with an option for the 2023 season.

https://www.tsn.ca/christine-sinclair-portland-thorns-fc-contract-extension-1.1751433

Edited January 27, 2022 by chalms04

[RJB]

I don't think she needs to retire from the national team.  Sometimes that's a nice way for players to save face and avoid not being selected, but I get the sense that she'd happily be a sub and still be a great teammate.  I think she'd also take an inconsistent call-up.  There's no need for her to stop the calls, I think perhaps the bigger question is will the team keep calling her.  

[eramosat]

10 minutes ago, RJB said:

I don't think she needs to retire from the national team.  Sometimes that's a nice way for players to save face and avoid not being selected, but I get the sense that she'd happily be a sub and still be a great teammate.  I think she'd also take an inconsistent call-up.  There's no need for her to stop the calls, I think perhaps the bigger question is will the team keep calling her.  

very very well said.

[LittleOzzy]

She has earned the right to retire when she wishes. She clearly has the skill, and still shows flashes of her younger self. I hope she still has another Olympics in her. 

Having said that it's nice to see the team performing in this current tournament without her. It's giving the staff a chance to evaluate what our team will look like without her in the future. Maybe moving forward we should save Sinclair for the tournament's that matter, and stop relying on her friendlies. 

[MrR]

A long over-due answer: YES!

But hey! This is Canada. Old people have equal rights too, right? Who says you can't Captain a World Cup squad at 44 years of age?

 

Edited July 31, 2023 by MrR

[Kent]

On 7/31/2023 at 8:22 AM, MrR said:

A long over-due answer: YES!

But hey! This is Canada. Old people have equal rights too, right? Who says you can't Captain a World Cup squad at 44 years of age?

 

5 years after you started this thread, I think you are right now. She might want to hang on to make an appearance in front of home fans in Toronto against Jamaica in September, but that matchup is looking increasingly difficult with Jamaica advancing out of the group stage in the World Cup at the expense of Brazil, having also drawn against France. So it will be hard to give a ceremonial curtain call for her. I guess if we are still  needing a goal late in leg 2, whoever is on the field probably isn't getting the job done, so it might be worth a hail mary of getting the legend out there one more time.

[MrR]

2 hours ago, Kent said:

5 years after you started this thread, I think you are right now. She might want to hang on to make an appearance in front of home fans in Toronto against Jamaica in September, but that matchup is looking increasingly difficult with Jamaica advancing out of the group stage in the World Cup at the expense of Brazil, having also drawn against France. So it will be hard to give a ceremonial curtain call for her. I guess if we are still  needing a goal late in leg 2, whoever is on the field probably isn't getting the job done, so it might be worth a hail mary of getting the legend out there one more time.

So the whole idea of playing Christine against Jamaica in Toronto is to thank her for all she has accomplished? How do you think she would feel if the Reggae Girlz handed Canada another 0-4 defeat? Wouldn't it be better to give Christine a proper send-off in a friendly where there is nothing at stake against a friendly opponent?

Edited August 3, 2023 by MrR

[Bison44]

I just realized, an idiot that used to post on here Robert started this thread 4 years ago.  Wow, can you imagine banging the same drum for 5years on the same thing? 

[narduch]

Robert should retire from posting on this website 

[Kent]

1 hour ago, MrR said:

So the whole idea of playing Christine against Jamaica in Toronto is to thank her for all she has accomplished? How do you think she would feel if the Reggae Girlz handed Canada another 0-4 defeat? Wouldn't it be better to give Christine a proper send-off in a friendly where there is nothing at stake against a friendly opponent?

I agreed with you. I think she should retire. I was just saying she might be motivated to try to hold on a few more months. And if Priestman did decide to give her one last shot with an 80th minute sub in leg 2, it wouldn't be the reason for a 4-0 loss over 180 minutes of soccer. Whoever would have been the 23rd pick wouldn't be that impactful in the 2 leg series either.

[MrR]

1 hour ago, Kent said:

I agreed with you. I think she should retire. I was just saying she might be motivated to try to hold on a few more months. And if Priestman did decide to give her one last shot with an 80th minute sub in leg 2, it wouldn't be the reason for a 4-0 loss over 180 minutes of soccer. Whoever would have been the 23rd pick wouldn't be that impactful in the 2 leg series either.

I think the fact that Priestman is only 37-years-old and Sinclair is 40-years-old, and has the history she does, factors into the decision-making process as to when Sinclair is on the field or not. I also suspect that Sinclair doesn't respect Priestman, as much as Priestman respects Sinclair. If I was Priestman, and my career was hanging by a thread, as it certainly must be after the World Cup, I wouldn't even have Sinclair on the roster for the Jamaica games. 

[Kent]

12 hours ago, MrR said:

I think the fact that Priestman is only 37-years-old and Sinclair is 40-years-old, and has the history she does, factors into the decision-making process as to when Sinclair is on the field or not. I also suspect that Sinclair doesn't respect Priestman, as much as Priestman respects Sinclair. If I was Priestman, and my career was hanging by a thread, as it certainly must be after the World Cup, I wouldn't even have Sinclair on the roster for the Jamaica games. 

I'm not sure how much age comes into it, but maybe it is a factor. It's gotta be tough to retire someone, especially someone as decorated as Sinclair. We don't know if behind closed doors Priestman is telling Sinclair she should retire and Sinclair is just stubborn enough to think she can still do the job, or if Priestman is not even suggesting it to Sinclair. Not everyone is Marc Crawford not using Gretzky in a shootout in the twilight of his career.

[MrR]

44 minutes ago, Kent said:

I'm not sure how much age comes into it, but maybe it is a factor. It's gotta be tough to retire someone, especially someone as decorated as Sinclair. We don't know if behind closed doors Priestman is telling Sinclair she should retire and Sinclair is just stubborn enough to think she can still do the job, or if Priestman is not even suggesting it to Sinclair. Not everyone is Marc Crawford not using Gretzky in a shootout in the twilight of his career.

I sure hope that Priestman is doing what's best for the success of the CWNT. Sinclair should have retired 5 years ago. She did absolutely nothing in these 3 World Cup games. To use Christine's own words: "If this isn't a wake-up call, I don't know what is?"

[Colonel Green]

6 hours ago, MrR said:

I sure hope that Priestman is doing what's best for the success of the CWNT. Sinclair should have retired 5 years ago. She did absolutely nothing in these 3 World Cup games. To use Christine's own words: "If this isn't a wake-up call, I don't know what is?"

Sinclair was on the field and front-and-center for the only good half that the team played in Australia.