PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Through all the games, goals and titles, Christine Sinclair’s favorite memory of the Thorns was one of her earliest, walking onto the field in Portland for the very first season of the National Women’s Soccer League.

More than 16,000 fans were in Providence Park for the Thorns’ 2013 home opener, foreshadowing the sport’s popularity in Portland in years to come.

“It was very special and something that not many players in that inaugural year experienced while playing on their home park,” she said. “So it was just special and I was so proud to be able to call Portland my home in that moment and share it with my teammates because I knew that was possible.”

Sinclair, 41, will retire from professional football at the end of the season. She will be honored Friday night when the Thorns host Angel City in the final game of the regular season.

It also turns out to be an important match. The Thorns need a win or a draw to clinch a spot in the play-offs. With a loss to Angel City, they will have to be helped by other results.

That means Friday night may not be Sinclair’s last game, but it’s a way for fans to celebrate the Portland icon just in case. Although Sinclair is proudly Canadian, she played for the University of Portland and has called the city home ever since.

“I think The Thorns have shown the world what is possible when investment is made in women’s sports. And now when we look around the NWSL, the WNBA, professional hockey, it’s incredible to see the growth. And I would like to think that Portland had started it a little bit,” she said. “I’m proud that I was able to experience it and be part of its growth, and that I can now pass it on to the next group.”

Sinclair is one of only three active players in the NWSL who have played for the same team since the league’s inception in 2013. The other two are Jess Fishlock and Lu Barnes of the Seattle Reign.

She helped the Thorns win the first NWSL Championship before adding additional titles in 2017 and 2022. She scored Portland’s first-ever goal in a match against FC Kansas City on April 13, 2013.

She has scored a club record 65 regular season goals with the team, making her third all-time in the competition. She played in a Portland-record 199 games, including 180 starts.

Friday night’s game is number 200.

“It won’t sink in until it’s done. I’m sure it will be emotional tomorrow night and who knows what will happen. But if I can distance myself and have a little peace and quiet, then it will happen to me,” she said. “It will happen to me on a quiet morning in December and I will look back on everything and be proud.”

Sinclair retired from the Canadian national team last year and ended her international career as the world’s leading scorer in both women and men with 190 goals.

Sinclair won a gold medal with Canada at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. She won bronze medals at both the 2012 and 2016 Games.

She is also one of only five players to have appeared in six Women’s World Cups, and one of only three players to score in five.

Sinclair, a native of Burnaby, British Columbia, also won NCAA championships with the University of Portland in 2002 and 2005.