Canada Soccer Hall of Fame welcomes Sinclair, Matheson in Class of 2025

Neil Davidson · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Apr 30, 2025 5:02 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

Former Canada skipper Christine Sinclair and Northern Super League co-founder Diana Matheson pb the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame's Class of 2025.

The two, who won a combined 537 caps for Canada, are joined by erstwhile goalkeeper Lars Hirschfeld and erstwhile FIFA referee Michelle Pye successful the induction class.

"Canada Soccer is honoured to observe this exceptional radical of individuals arsenic esteemed members of the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame," Canada Soccer president Peter Augruso said successful a statement. "Lars, Diana, Michelle and Christine person made a profound interaction connected the athletics successful Canada, and I americium delighted that their important contributions are being recognized."

Normally, determination is simply a five-year waiting play aft status to beryllium eligible for the Hall. But successful the lawsuit of Sinclair, the world's all-time starring goal-scorer, the Canada Soccer Heritage and Hall of Fame Committee decided unanimously to expedite her selection.

Sinclair, who scored 190 goals and added 54 assists successful 331 planetary appearances, becomes the archetypal to person the waiting play waived.

Sinclair's past nine crippled was a Nov. 10 Portland Thorns' nonaccomplishment to Gotham FC successful the NWSL playoffs. Her planetary swansong for Canada was Dec. 5, 2023.

The caller inductees bring the Hall of Fame numbers to 147 players, 13 coaches, 11 officials, and 45 builders.

"It volition beryllium our honour and privilege to invited these 4 legends to the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame, to radiance a airy connected their legacy, and to support their records and contributions to athletics successful Canada," saidΓÇï Ken MacLean, seat of the Canada Soccer Heritage and Hall of Fame Committee

Hirschfeld and Matheson were some selected done yearly voting successful the Modern Canadian Players category, portion Pye was chosen done a voting class for referees

WATCH | Sinclair excited for NSL league:

Olympic gold

Sinclair, a 14-time Canada Soccer Player of the Year, won Olympic golden successful 2021 and back-to-back bronze astatine the 2012 and 2016 Games. She besides captained Canada to a CONCACAF title and Pan American Games gold.

"Her poise successful beforehand of the nett and her quality to enactment the shot wherever the goalkeeper is not, is wherefore she is who she is," erstwhile Canadian goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc, a Hall of Famer herself, said successful 2019. "Because she's astatine location successful front."

At the nine level, Sinclair won aggregate league and playoff titles successful some the WPS and NWSL. In 2012, she scored a Canadian grounds 23 goals successful 22 matches and was the apical scorer astatine the London Olympics.

The 41-year-old from Burnaby, B.C., present co-owner of the NSL's Vancouver Rise, shied distant from the spotlight. But she helped enactment Canadian shot connected the map.

Matheson continues to marque her people arsenic the main maturation serviceman of the NSL, besides serving arsenic portion of the Ottawa Rapid's ownership group.

On the field, her 92nd-minute extremity against France earned Canada the bronze medal astatine the London Olympics. She besides won bronze successful Rio successful 2016.

206 caps for Matheson

Matheson won 206 caps for Canada implicit an 18-year vocation that ended successful March 2020.

At nine level, she won titles successful Canada and Norway and was a Best XI enactment successful the inaugural play of the National Women's Soccer League.

Hirschfeld represented Canada for 17 years, earning 48 caps, including 3 cycles of FIFA World Cup qualifiers and 5 editions of the CONCACAF Gold Cup. He was named Best Goalkeeper astatine the 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup, helping Canada to a third-place finish.

At nine level, helium won titles successful Canada, Norway and Romania.

Pye served connected the FIFA List of Referees and Assistant Referees from 2007 done 2017, including an assignment to the FIFA Women's World Cup successful 2015 successful Canada. She officiated CONCACAF Olympic Qualifiers arsenic good arsenic 4 FIFA younker tournaments, from the FIFA U-17 World Cup successful New Zealand and Trinidad and Tobago to the FIFA U-20 World Cup successful Canada and Papua New Guinea.

At nine level, she was successful complaint of Canada Soccer's 2006 nationalist championships last successful Surrey, B.C., arsenic good arsenic the 2012 USL W-League title crippled successful Ottawa.

Matheson and Sinclair volition beryllium honoured unneurotic astatine an upcoming Canadian women's crippled this summer, portion Hirschfeld volition beryllium honoured astatine an upcoming Canadian men's match.

Pye volition beryllium honoured May 3 astatine the Canada Soccer Awards Banquet successful Niagara Falls, Ont.