SINCLAIR’S RECORD-SETTING GAME STOLE SPOTLIGHT FROM RISING STAR
Striker Leon’s offence could tip scales in Canada’s favour at Olympic qualifier
It’s not often a player gets overlooked after scoring four goals in an international soccer game.
Yet, Adriana Leon was more than happy to take a back seat to teammate Christine Sinclair, who broke the all-time international scoring record in an 11-0 win over St. Kitts and Nevis on Wednesday at the CONCACAF Women’s Olympic qualifying tournament in Edinburg, Texas.
Leon scored four goals in the win and set up Sinclair for the record breaker, putting Canada up 4-0 at the time.
“I think we were all a little bit nervous,” Leon said Friday. “We were contemplating who was going to be the one to set her up, and I think after she scored the (penalty kick goal), we kind of all felt at ease and we knew she was going to get the next one. I’m glad I was able to assist her on that one.”
Leon, 27, of Mississauga, Ont., put the ball on a platter for Sinclair to score her 185th international goal, moving her past retired U.S. striker Abby Wambach for the all-time lead.
Leon took a pass from Jessie Fleming in behind the St. Kitts back line and slid the ball over to an unmarked Sinclair in front of the net. Sinclair then fired the ball past goalkeeper Kyra Dickinson for the historic goal.
“Jessie made a great pass into me and (Sinclair) put herself in a perfect position to just place the ball in,” Leon said.
With the goal out of the way, Canada can move on with the task of qualifying for a fourth consecutive Olympic tournament. The two-time defending bronze medallists face Jamaica on Saturday in Canada’s second Group B game.
A win would guarantee Canada a spot in the semifinals. The two finalists from the eight-team tournament qualify for the 12-team women’s tournament at the Tokyo Olympics.
“(Sinclair) made history already, so I think it takes the pressure off,” Leon said. “It’s great to see that she’s done that and we’re looking forward to the next ones. We’re taking it game by game now, so the focus is Jamaica and we’ll take care of business there and focus on the next one, and then the one after that.”
Jamaica opened the tournament with a 1-0 loss to Mexico on Wednesday. Canada faces Mexico on Tuesday.
Leon’s four-goal performance put her in the early tournament scoring lead. It’s the second time Leon has scored four goals in a game for Canada. She had four in a 12-0 win over Cuba at the 2018
CONCACAF Women’s Championship.
Leon made the move to West Ham United in England this season and came into the Olympic qualifying tournament in midseason form, which was evident as she shred the St. Kitts defence after starting up front beside Sinclair.
“I feel really good physically and mentally,” Leon said. “I think it’s helped that I’ve been playing basically since the summer. I haven’t had much of a break, which has been really good for me. Things at West Ham are pretty good and I’m enjoying the season over there. The English League is super competitive, so I feel like I came into camp ready to go and eager to get started. I think that showed in the first match.”
Having made her Canadian senior team debut in 2013, Leon has 19 goals in 64 matches for her country. She played with the Boston Breakers, Sky Blue FC and the Seattle Reign in the National Women’s Soccer League before making the move to England.
She has four goals in 16 games for West Ham.
Used predominately as a substitute at the Women’s World Cup last summer, Leon made the most of her start against St. Kitts and Nevis, and will likely get the call against Jamaica.
A natural striker, she has the speed and ability to get into good scoring positions, with a deft touch around the net to finish off her opportunities.
“I felt good out there. I felt like I was a constant threat throughout the 90 minutes, which is something I wanted to focus on, not shying away throughout the game,” Leon said.
“I felt like I kept myself in it. I set up a couple of the other goals and I was happy to be a threat out there. I was happy with my performance.”
Canada needs Leon to continue playing well in the tournament. The goal is to win the group and avoid facing the powerful United States in the semifinal with a berth in the Olympics on the line.
Jamaica will present a much tougher challenge than St. Kitts and Nevis provided.
“I think we’re expecting a physical battle out there,” Leon said.
“They have some big, strong girls and some quick forwards. We’re expecting some direct play from them, so we’ll be ready for that and we’ll be ready for the fight.”
I felt good out there. I felt like I was a constant threat throughout the 90 minutes, which is something I wanted to focus on.