Jessie Fleming to captain Canada against England at Arnold Clark Cup

Chalk up another honour for Jessie Fleming.

In the absence of Christine Sinclair, the 23-year-old midfielder from London, Ont., will captain Canada against host England on Thursday at the Arnold Clark Cup. The 38-year-old Sinclair, the world's all-time leading goal-scorer, is not with the team due to the recent death of her mother.

"Jesse's very similar to Christine in her leadership," Canada coach Bev Priestman told a virtual availability Wednesday. "She leads by example. She'll be the hardest-working player on that pitch."

Wednesday's match sees the sixth-ranked Canadians face No. 8 England. No. 3 Germany meets No. 9 Spain to kick off the doubleheader at Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough.

While it marks the first time Fleming serves as skipper with the senior side, she captained Canada at the 2013 CONCACAF Women's Under-17 Championship and 2014 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup under Priestman.

Fleming has already won 94 caps for Canada and helped England's Chelsea fill its trophy cabinet.

"It's a huge honour for Jessie, I know, to represent her country" said Priestman. "So I'm really proud of her and where she's been and where she's going."

Canada Soccer says Fleming will lead the team out Thursday, with captain duties for the next two matches to be announced later. Sophie Schmidt (209 caps), Desiree Scott (171 caps), Erin McLeod (119 caps), Janine Beckie (83 caps), Shelina Zadorsky (77 caps) and Quinn (73 caps) — who goes by one name — are other veteran options.

Fleming, along with Sinclair, and fellow Canadian Ashley Lawrence, was on the 20-woman short list for the 2021 Ballon d'Or but did not make the five finalists. Awarded by France Football magazine, the Ballon d'Or is presented annually to the world's top soccer