You couldn’t have imagined a better script for Canada’s opening game of the FIFA Women’s World Cup at Commonwealth Stadium this summer.
Hours before the big game, it was almost impossible to get on the ridiculously packed LRT. The stadium was almost full, with more than 53,000 fans cheering for Canada. The atmosphere was incredible.
When the referee awarded Canada a penalty kick in extra time, the tension was palpable. For a moment, the stadium fell silent. Then it erupted. I have never heard Commonwealth Stadium as loud as when Christine Sinclair – who else? – scored.
I was 12 when I cheered on Sinclair in 2002, when the U-19 team won silver at the world championship, right here in Edmonton. It made covering the World Cup 13 years later so special, and it was just plain cool to watch women’s soccer once again captivate the nation.
Sure, it was hell for all of us on working on a tight deadline, but it was a day I won’t forget anytime soon.
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