Christine Sinclair to become the first player inducted into Portland Thorns Hall of Fame

Craig Mitchelldyer-Imagn Images

If there’s a name in Portland that people instantly associate with soccer, that’s Christine Sinclair.

After 25 years dedicated to the game, and 12 of those spent with the Portland Thorns, she decided to hang up the boots in 2024. In the span of those 12 years, she helped Portland to become one of the most successful women’s clubs in the world and the NWSL after helping to win three Championships (2013, 2017, 2022), two Shields (2016, 2021), the 2021 Challenge Cup, the 2021 Women’s International Champions Cup and the 2020

Fall Series.

Portland Thorns FC

As a player, she finished her career as the club’s all-time leading goal scorer with 79 goals across all NWSL competitions (the second-most goals scored by an NWSL player). She also holds Portland’s record for most matches played (237), games started (215), minutes played (18,579) and penalties scored (10), as well as 19 assists (third-most in Thorns history).

However, before all the accolades won with the Thorns, the Burnaby native started to write her history in indelible ink with the Portland Pilots. It was 2001 when she committed to the University of Portland, establishing a program record of 110 goals and 32 assists in 94 appearances and helped the Pilots to win two National Championships (2002, 2005). As a Pilot, she was awarded a back-to-back collegiate soccer’s highest individual honor – the MAC Hermann Trophy – in 2004 and 2005.

Sinclair certainly achieved many accolades with her national team including being the top goalscorer of all time, but there is one that stands above them all: the 2020 Tokyo Olympic gold medal.

Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images

After all those great achievements and many, many more, the fact that the club is honoring her in this way is thoroughly deserved. She will once more lead the way, this time to Portland’s pantheon of players. Hopefully, there will be lots of roses there too.