Christine Sinclair, right, hopes to lead Canada to glory at the FIFA Women's World Cup in September. (Choi Won-Suk/AFP/Getty Images)

For many, Christine Sinclair is the face of Canadian soccer.

The 23-year-old forward from Burnaby, B.C., is much more than the captain and cornerstone of the Canadian women's team that harbours hopes of winning the FIFA Women's World Cup in China in September.

An explosive goal scorer with a sensational scoring touch, Sinclair is also universally recognized as one of the best women's players on the planet, having twice been short-listed by FIFA for the World Player of the Year award.

But for all of Sinclair's individual successes, a World Cup title remains the one glaring omission on her remarkable resumé.

At the 2003 World Cup in the United States, Sinclair and Canada came achingly close to reaching the final, losing 2-1 to Sweden in the semifinals after giving up a pair of goals late in the game.

Four years later, the women's team has adopted the formula that helped the Canadian women's hockey team win back-to-back Olympic gold medals in 2002 and 2006.

Since Jan. 21, Sinclair and 23 of Canada's best female soccer players have been involved in a national team residency camp in Vancouver. It's the first of several camps that will see the players live and train together non-stop leading up to the World Cup in China.

CBC Sports Online spoke with Sinclair about her development as a player over the years, the residency camp and Canada's chances for success at the FIFA Women's World Cup in China.

What did it feel like to win the Canadian women's player of the year award for the second straight time?
Obviously it's an honour to be recognized within your country and to be named the top player. There are so many great players in Canada, and there are so many great players on the national team, so just to be recognized is great.

You've appeared in close to 90 games since you made your debut for the national team seven years ago. You also played for the Canadian youth team and the under-18 squad. What does representing Canada mean to you?
I think all Canadian players are very proud of where they're from and I'm no different. To be able to play for the youth team and then to be called up to the senior team at a fairly young age … just to represent your country on a world stage is huge.

You had a very successful NCAA career at the University of Portland. How did playing college soccer in the U.S. help develop your game?
College sports in the United States are very different compared to Canada. There's so much more money and funding and they put more attention into their athletic programs. I went to a soccer school, not a football school or a basketball school, and just to be able to play with the same players day-in and day-out, and then have a couple of games every week, you can't help but get better.

Because of your success on the field, you've become an idol to thousands of young girls who play soccer in this country. How do you deal with that pressure?
I don't view it as having to cope with anything. I think the pressure comes more from games and tournaments, and not from having people look up to you. I think it's a great thing because when I was growing up there weren't too many, especially Canadian, female soccer players to look up to. So I don't view it as pressure, I just think it's a positive.

Christine Sinclair has 66 goals in 88 games for Canada. (Jae C. Jong/Associated Press)

How is the residency camp going in Vancouver?
It's going very well. Those first days of camp, they were working us pretty hard — a lot of fitness drills and such. But just to have the team together … we're going to be together for quite a while this year, and I think it's something as a team we need in order to reach our goals at the World Cup.

Do you think the residency camp gives Canada a better chance of winning the World Cup?
I hope so. We did pretty well at the 2003 World Cup. I think for most people, unexpectedly, we did quite well when we finished fourth. So we have a lot to prove this September. Playing against each other in training, and training with each other every day, it builds team chemistry. I think it's really going to help at the World Cup and the Olympics after that.

Canada lost in the semifinals at the 2003 World Cup. Last November, Canada fell to the U.S. in the finals of the Peace Queen Cup and the Gold Cup final. What does Canada have to do to jump over that last hurdle and win an important tournament?
I think we're doing it with the residency camp. I think at the last World Cup, we were a very young team — we probably had an average age of 22 or 23. So to do that well in the World Cup I think was very important. And then last year the only team we lost to was the U.S.; unfortunately it happened in some finals. But we're definitely getting there. Those two games [against the U.S.] went to overtime — one was 30 seconds away from a shootout — so we're doing a lot better. We're improving and this residency camp, I think the goal of it is, instead of losing by one, trying to get on the other side of that result.

Canada and the U.S. have forged such a great rivalry over the years. Why are Canada-U.S. games so competitive and entertaining?
Well, first of all, I think it's because we play them so often, and most of us know each other from the college ranks. Especially for Canada, the U.S. has won so many tournaments and it's a way for us to gauge where we're at. We hate losing to the U.S. and they hate losing to us. I love playing against them. Especially in international soccer, you don't get too many games, so when you get to play against top teams like Germany, the U.S., Brazil and those types of teams, it's a little different from playing Jamaica.

What do you think of Canadian national team coach Even Pellerud?
He's really turned around the women's program from where it was eight years ago to where it is today; not just with the development of the younger players but the funding has increased since he took over.

The preparation has also improved. Before it would be a camp every couple of months. Now, for the most part, we're living and training together in preparation for the Word Cup, and I think that's due to Even.

On the field, he does the things that we need to succeed. He's done a great job for us. He's demanding and he expects a lot from us, but he gives just as much of himself. He's so dedicated to this team — we joke with him that his wife is really soccer.

Three team veterans — former captain Charmaine Hooper, defender Sharolta Nonen, and forward Christine Latham — were suspended from the national team after failing to attend an exhibition series against China in August in a dispute with the CSA over the residency camp. How much did their suspensions and absences affect the team?
I think everyone's moved on. That was seven months ago and since then a lot's happened — we've played a lot of games and a lot of tournaments and done very well. Originally, I think people were a little worried because you never know how you're going to do when you're missing three of your starters … but I think the way the team has grown throughout living and training together, I think the team has moved on completely.

The suspensions have been lifted, but the three players weren't invited to the residency camp and Even hasn't said for sure that they will be back, only that they "would be considered" in the future. Do you think they should be welcomed back into the team?
It's hard to say. I don't know how they'd be welcomed back. They let their teammates and friends down, so I don't know how it would go over.

Did you feel let down?
For sure. I think the dispute could have been resolved in a different way. They had their points, but I just think it could have been dealt with differently. Actually communicating to people would have been nice and not leaving your team high and dry for international games and a trip to Europe.

You're a key member of the Canadian squad, as are Kara Lang, Amy Walsh and Brittany Timko. Is there anybody on the team you think is flying under the radar and is ready to break out?
I think an important player who is coming back from an injury is [defender] Candace Chapman. She's had a hard three years with injuries and she's starting to be healthy again. She was incredible before she got injured, so to see her back out is really important for us. She adds a different dimension to our team.