EDMONTON, Alberta — GCanada had just been eliminated from the 2011 Women’s World Cup. Its captain, Christine Sinclair, sat on the turf, crying, angry, desolate. Her nose had been broken earlier in the tournament in Germany. Now, after a 4-0 rout by France in group play, her spirit felt broken as well.
“It was the lowest point in my soccer career,” Sinclair said. “The worst game I’d ever seen our team play.”
In the fallout, John Herdman was hired to coach the Canadian women. He placed a photo of the deflated Sinclair on the wall of his office.