Looking to recapture that London magic
ROAD TO RIO: Veterans Sinclair, Scott chase career milestones
Christine Sinclair and Desiree Scott can record personal milestones at the CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship in Texas.
But Sinclair’s 159th goal and Scott’s 100th cap will hopefully just be signposts on Canada’s road to the Rio Olympics.
After a somewhat disappointing World Cup last summer on home soil, where Canada was beaten by England in the quarter-finals, John Herdman’s team hopes to recapture some of the magic that led to Olympic bronze four years ago in England.
Getting to Rio is Job 1 and that starts this week in Texas, where two Olympic berths from North and Central America and the Caribbean are up for grabs.
The eight-team qualifying tournament opens Wednesday with Group A play in Frisco, where the top-ranked U.S. plays No. 34 Costa Rica and No. 108 Puerto Rico faces No. 26 Mexico.
On Thursday, No. 11 Canada opens Group B play in Houston against No. 89 Guyana while No. 76 Guatemala takes on No. 48 Trinidad and Tobago.
After pool play, the top two teams in each group will play crossover matches with the semifinal winners advancing to Rio de Janeiro.
For the 32-year-old Sinclair, Canada’s talisman, it’s a chance at a third Olympics. En route the Canadian skipper can move past Mia Hamm into second place on the all-time women’s scoring list with one more goal, her 159th. American Abby Wambach tops the list with 184 goals.
Sinclair had no idea she was about to match Hamm.
“I’m kind of in disbelief and shock about it, to be honest,” the Burnaby native said. “When I started with the national team and even before that, Mia Hamm was the face of women’s soccer in the world. I remember thinking ‘Oh my God, she scored so many goals for the U.S.’ It’s something I never thought would happen.’ ”
Scott’s next cap, meanwhile, will be her 100th, which will elevate her to Canada’s current century club alongside Sinclair (232 caps) and fellow forward Melissa Tancredi (109), midfielders Diana Matheson (178) and Sophie Schmidt (137), fullback Rhian Wilkinson (168) and goalkeeper Erin McLeod (112).
The Houston roster features 13 players who were part of the World Cup Canada campaign and seven from the London Olympics.
But Herdman has blended youth with that experience, selecting seven players aged 20 and under including three teens: Deanne Rose (16) and Gabrielle Carle and Jessie Fleming (both 17).
“With these kids, the future is in great hands,” said Sinclair, who cites a different energy and excitement about the team.
“These kids have no baggage,” she added. “They’re just here to play and have fun and express themselves. It’s incredible to see.”
While Fleming was part of the World Cup squad, the other newcomers come in fully versed in Canada’s tactics, having played the same way on junior national teams.
In London, the average age of Herdman’s team was pushing 30. The average here is 25.