Why the KC Current prioritized retaining veteran NWSL, Team Canada player Desiree Scott

Desiree Scott has joked about retirement over the last couple of years.

But as this offseason wore on and weeks went by without a contract in place for Scott to return to the Kansas City Current, some questioned whether this might be the year she decided to hang it up.

Not yet, the 35-year-old NWSL and Team Canada veteran told The Star in a recent sit-down interview.

“Still feeling that fire every day when I come to practice was something that just solidified that I still want to play,” Scott explained.

Captained last season by Scott, the KC Current surpassed pretty much all expectations en route to the NWSL Championship match in Washington, D.C., where they lost to the Portland Thorns.

“Obviously (I’m) disappointed not to hoist that championship (trophy), and you’re kind of like, ‘OK, have I sort of done everything in my career?’” Scott said. “Obviously, winning would’ve been the cherry on top.”

Pausing, she added with a smile, “It’s probably a good thing we didn’t win because it brought me back.”

Another part of her personal equation when weighing whether to play another year was a knee injury that nagged at Scott late in the season and required surgery at season’s end.

This is the first injury and recovery process of her lengthy career, and the emotions are still a bit raw. She’s spent some time worrying how she’ll get fit again, and whether she can return to a high level of play.

The Current’s season begins Saturday in North Carolina and the World Cup lurks this summer.

“For country, there’s a certain standard,” Scott said. “So, ‘Can I get back there?’ has always been the question.”

She may not be ready for NWSL competition when the Current kick off their season this weekend, but Scott anticipates being able to represent Canada in Australia and New Zealand this summer, barring any setbacks.

“Everything’s on par to get me there and ready,” she said, “and I know the club will give me all the resources to do that.”

It would be hard to overstate the importance of Scott’s presence in her club and country’s locker rooms. She’s a universally loved and respected veteran, especially around the Current.

Asked about Scott, second-year KC midfielder Chardonnay Curran smiled.

“While she was gone, all we did was talk about her,” Curran said. “I think she’s a great person on and off the field. She’s always there no matter what.

“When you need somebody you can count on her, and you don’t even hast to ask for her. She’s just there.”

During her rookie season, Curran was relegated primarily to helping close out games in the midfield. It was a new experience for Curran, who holds the record for matches started (84) and consecutive matches played (92) at the University of Oregon.

She credited Scott for helping her navigate the change in role.

“She helped me a lot mentally with the position I was in,” Curran said. “I came in, played a new role, and she just took me under her wing.”

Scott’s impact off the field extends to her countrymen, too. The Canada Women’s National Team battled with its federation over significant cuts to the team’s budget. Players protested during the recent SheBelieves Cup and struggled under the weight of it all.

“I know that tournament was tough for the players,” Scott said. “You have Christine Sinclair, who gave her all for this country her entire life, and to see how disappointed and disrespected she was, that affects me personally as my teammate and her friend.”

As the fight goes on for Team Canada, Scott and some of her Canadian teammates have been through this before.

“I think the last two years with the things in the NWSL we were battling, fighting for, all the equal pay disputes going on around the world — the US, Spain, France, all these things that are demanding more for women’s sport,” Scott said. “I think there’s a reckoning happening right now.”

This story was originally published March 21, 2023 at 6:00 AM.