PORTLAND Pray. (KPTV) – Christine Sinclair will play her final home match as a member of the Portland Thorns on Friday at Providence Park.

Beloved by his teammates and his adopted home city, Sinclair is closing out 25 monumental pro seasons. And after playing 12 of those pro seasons in Portland, three crowns and one hall-of-fame career, Sinclair will always be the GOAT here.

“This sport has been my life since I was 4,” Sinclair said. “Obviously, this team is a blast, and this will be the hardest part to leave.”

The 41-year-old greatest Thorn of all captains the seventh-place club into the National Women’s Soccer League regular-season finale on Friday night where a win or a draw at home against Angel City will push Portland back into the playoffs in its 200th match and perhaps last in a Thorns kit.

“To be able to give my all one last year to Portland but it’s slowly crept in,” Sinclair said. “I still have the passion, I still love the sport, I still want to win, but yeah, it’s time.”

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“The Thorns showed the world what was possible when women’s sports were invested into and now looking around the NWSL, the WNBA, professional hockey now, it’s incredible to see the growth and I’d like to think Portland had a little bit of the start “Sinclair said.

Beyond Sinclair’s 12 professional years in Portland, she’ll forever be remembered as leading the Pilots to a pair of NCAA national titles when she was a consensus All-American and twice named the top player of the year up on the bluff of UP for another fellow Portland soccer icon, Clive Charles.

“My blood is Canadian, but ever since going to University here, I remember Clive saying that students come here and they never leave. Yep, that’s me,” Sinclair said. “Since day one, Portland has been home, and this will always be one of two home bases for me.”

Friday’s match could be the end of or the start of another deep postseason run. Tickets are still available to send Sinclair out in style.

“Obviously, we love competing playing and trying to win, but to be able to give back, to be able to spend those 30 seconds, a minute – whatever it may be – with the next generation is so important,” Sinclair said. “I’ve had those moments as a little kid, literally sitting in this stadium and watching a World Cup match and it changed my life, so to be able to give back obviously, I have two young nieces that dream of one day playing for Portland, playing for Canada, it’s why we do what we do.”

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