With a newfound roar in her voice, Canada's Sinclair readies for a 6th Women's World Cup

This is a column by Shireen Ahmed, who writes opinion for CBC Sports.  For more information about  CBC's Opinion section , please see the  FAQ .

The first time I saw Christine Sinclair upset was at the London Olympics in 2012. I was watching Canada's women's soccer semifinal against the U.S. with my family. All my children knew who she was and we watched her score three goals at Old Trafford in stunning fashion that day. She was breathtakingly bold as a striker and on target.

I knew her to be an exceptional player, but I knew that she was also measured in how much emotion she displayed after a match was over. 

After Canada endured what I think is one of the most devastating and bizarre calls (yes, I stand by that) by Norwegian official Christina Pederson. Canada lost the game in extra time. Sinclair was furious.

"We feel like we didn't lose, we feel like it was taken from us," she said following the match. "It's a shame in a game like that that was so important, the ref decided the result before it started."

Sinclair was suspended four games and fined $3,500 for what FIFA labelled "unsporting behaviour towards officials."

The Canadian team, and many of its supporters, were furious. If our beloved skipper was upset, then there was a damn good reason for it. That's because we trust Sinclair. She is the captain you can rely on and who is dependable. The results may not always go the way we want, but Sinclair's character is solid and so are her principles. Her role as leader has evolved over the past 23 years with the senior national team but she remains a stalwart of the team. 

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Having just turned 40, she has scored more goals than the greatest