Life without the greatest player you have ever had is hard. When you are also preparing to retain Olympic Gold, it becomes all the more difficult. Canada find themselves in a unique situation this summer as they look to do just that, without their greatest player in Christine Sinclair following her retirement from international football last autumn. And thus I pose the question, are Canada prepared to retain Gold in a Sinclair-less world?

Captaincy

Christine Sinclair was always going to be a hard captain to follow. Gaining the captaincy back in 2006 before the CONCAF Women’s Gold Cup, Sinclair would subsequently lead the team for 16 years as head in charge.

John Herdman, ex-Canadian National Team manager said of Sinclair in 2017:

“She’s such a great Canadian and this is reflected in her leadership of our team, not only in the way that she can inspire her teammates, but also in the way that she can inspire all Canadian.

Sinclair was a faithful and inspiring leader four years ago in Tokyo, and Fleming is more than prepared to do the same in Paris.“

Despite what came of a heroic tenure with the armband, Sinclair’s successor was a shoe in. Sinclair’s Portland Thorns teammate, and national team teammate for 10 years, Jessie Fleming, had worn the armband in Sinclair’s absence before her appointment in the permanent promotion. Like Sinclair, Fleming has become a stalwart for Canada in her 11 years in the senior squad, making her debut at just 15 years old. Skilful, reliable and a strong leader, Fleming has not just filled Sinclair’s shoes well, but made sure the aspects of her leadership are carried on into the new era of the Canadian side.

In the past year, including that now sadly infamous Women’s World Cup exit interview, Fleming has displayed how she was the right choice to fill the captaincy. The Thorns midfielder has displayed in her leadership that she can lead this Canada side to greatness, once again.

Goalscoring

Replacing the World’s all-time top goal scorer was decidedly going to be the hardest part of Sinclair’s retirement. A staggering 190 goals and 54 assists in 331 appearances across her career, Sinclair scored more goals for Canada than anyone else has ever scored for a single country.

Tokyo saw Sinclair’s 300^th Canadian appearance in the opening game against hosts Japan, where she scored in the 1-1 draw. Though yet, her penalty against Brazil in the quarter finals did not hit the target, and Sinclair subsequently passed the spot kicker position to Fleming. It also marked the shift in Sinclair taking a back seat and becoming a bench player for the Canadian side, as the new era of talent began to flood through the gates.

Canada are not historically known for outrageous score lines like the USA or England have seen in past records. In Tokyo, Canada won 2 games and drew 4, with both the quarter final and final decided on penalty kicks. In the run up to Paris, they have equalled a goal or two a game. Whilst Canada did see score lines of 5-0, 6-0 and 4-0 against Australia, El Salvador and, Paraguay respectively since December, these were not in their usual outlooks.

In a Sinclair-less squad, Canada aren’t without scoring options. The likes of Janine Beckie, Adriana Leon, and Cloé Lacasse, are excellent forward options that can and will score goals. Recently lacking a clinical edge and urgency, the forwards have not managed to convert as easily or as quickly as will be needed in Paris. Defensively Canada are strong, but if you don’t score the goals to match, one slip up can become detrimental. Whilst penalties are what got them gold in 2021, a spot-kick showdown is hardly ever a given in football.

It’s hard to replace the greatest striker to ever play for Canada, but with competition heating up from around the world, it will be harder for Canada than it needs to be if they aren’t clinical and timely- and fast.

Is Canada Ready?

In many ways, Canada are ready for a future without Christine Sinclair. The leadership in Fleming, the scoring options in the likes of Jordyn Huitema and Evelyn Viens, and the hunger to retain their gold should be a good push towards Paris.

And yet, in the 6 months post Sinclair’s retirement, it is almost as if Canada are still in a ‘Sincy hangover.’ Gone is the ever faithful, and yet the side are still trying to figure out what that means for them. This isn’t a judgement on the team or Bev Priestman as a manager, rather more an obvious side effect of the greatest player you have ever produced leaving. It is a natural and understandable feat to have to ponder, but with Paris 2024 starting this week, Canada are pushed for time if they want to get their hands on Gold again.