Zach Scott was a walk-on at Gonzaga University. He was a trialist when he earned a spot with the USL Sounders in 2002. In the first nine matches of the 2014 season, Scott played a total of two minutes.
Yet when Sounders FC got the chance to protect one of its players for 2015 during the Expansion Draft, the club chose Scott.
The 34-year-old defender was protected after Orlando City SC selected Jalil Anibaba on Wednesday. As a result, Scott can return to Seattle for his seventh MLS season and 14th consecutive year as a part of the Sounders organization.
Sounders FC Head Coach Sigi Schmid believes Scott would have been taken later in the draft had Seattle not protected him.
“It was definitely our feeling that there was an interest in Zach,” Schmid said. “He has been a tough soldier for us, and we will trust him at the end of the day.”
Scott has 306 career appearances for the Sounders. As last season went on, he established himself as the starting centerback alongside Defender of the Year Chad Marshall, helping Sounders FC win its first Supporters’ Shield.
In the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final on September 16, Scott showed why he is still coveted by MLS teams at age 34.
Sounders FC was tied 1-1 with the Philadelphia Union in the 80th minute when Scott went down with a knee injury. He was in obvious pain and walked with a limp as he made his way to the sideline. But the Rave Green had just one substitution left, and 30 minutes of extra time were looming.
Scott returned to the field and played through pain, keeping Philadelphia off the board during extra time as Seattle went on to win 3-1. It was the fourth Open Cup title for Scott and the Sounders in the past six years.
“You’ve got a chance to win a trophy, and that’s something you don’t get very often,” Scott said after the match. “You’re going to do whatever it takes to be on the field and win the game.”
Following that day, Scott maintained his starting job whenever healthy and continually improved his chemistry with Marshall.
Scott is having surgery this offseason to repair a foot injury he suffered late in the regular season. While it’s unclear how healthy he will be for 2015, one thing is for sure: Sounders FC wants him back as part of the squad.
“His improvements in the years he’s been in MLS have been fantastic,” Schmid said. “I’m sure he feels that if he knew what he knew now, and he was 10 years younger, he would feel great about himself. I think it speaks to Zach’s character and his ability to constantly get the best from what he has every time he steps on the field.”
