SPEECH SPURRED EFFORT

So what exactly did Christine Sinclair say to her teammates after the crushing 4-3 extratime loss to the United States in the semifinals at the 2012 Olympics? It was a speech, from a normally quiet captain, that would inspire the women to pick themselves off the floor and beat France 1-0 for the bronze medal.

“I just remember sitting in the locker-room at Old Trafford,” Sinclair recalled. “Just everyone was heartbroken, rightfully so. Myself included. After a couple of minutes, it sort of hit me that three days from now we’re playing for a bronze medal. Just this feeling came over me that I had to say something to this team.” And I told them I had never been more proud to be their teammate. That the end result didn’t happen against the Americans but I’ve never been more proud to wear that shirt. And that if heading into London, somebody would have said ‘You’re going to be playing for a bronze medal,’ we would have taken it in a heartbeat. And I’m not leaving London without one. I don’t know. It just had to be said. Cool if it had an impact on people.” Says goalie Erin McLeod: “I get emotional every time I think about the speech.”