LONDON (CP-AP) - Canadian soccer star Christine Sinclair has signed to play for the Chelsea women's team.
Sinclair will be joined at Chelsea Ladies FC by veteran American star Tiffeny Milbrett. The Lady Blues play in the FA Women's Premier League.
Chelsea spokesman Simon Greenberg said the club is waiting for work permits for the pair.
"If we can't get the necessary approvals for this season we will be looking at next season," Greenberg said Monday. "This is not just about bringing them in in the short term."
Sinclair, a 22-year-old from Burnaby, B.C., led the University of Portland to the NCAA title and an undefeated season in 2005, setting an NCAA scoring record in the process. She also won the MAC Hermann Trophy as the top collegiate women's soccer player for the second year in a row.
Sinclair has 53 goals in 71 outings for the Canadian World Cup team.
Chelsea Ladies is next-to-last in the league and, with only two games left, is headed for a relegation playoff. The league will expand from 10 teams to 12 next year.
"Chelsea I don't know much about, but signing those two players for sure they have a high goal," Canadian coach Even Pellerud said from Vancouver.
There will be a four-team playoff between the Premier League's bottom two sides and the runners-up in the Northern and Southern leagues.
Milbrett and Sinclair also play for the Vancouver Whitecaps in the W-League, but their Premier League commitments won't clash.
Sinclair is due to join the Canadian national team for a camp in Mexico starting Feb. 21. Canada will play Mexico twice before taking on the Netherlands in Vancouver and Victoria next month.
