Scott set on return from injury for World Cup Intense knee rehab reignites competitive fire for national team stalwart
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/04/2023 (880 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Desiree Scott is an old pro at this game but there’s something new this time.
Thirteen years after debuting as a midfielder with Canada’s national women’s soccer team, the Winnipegger is rehabilitating after the first major injury and surgery of her illustrious career.
A knee injury, repaired in January, has knocked her out of the lineup with the Kansas City Current of the National Women’s Soccer League and threatens to keep her off Canada’s roster for the upcoming Women’s World Cup.
But she’s doing her best to get there.
SUPPLIED Desiree Scott trains on an Assault Bike at the Current’s training complex in Riverside, Mo.
“My surgery went well, and rehabbing that is a new path and journey for me,” Scott said, in a recent phone interview with the Free Press. “But there are sort of those doubts, like ‘Will I get back to being that physical player? Will I be hesitant in my play?’ Because really, I don’t think about what I do, so I’ll have to work on that side when I get back out there…
“I’m trying to find my way of having impact on the team in a positive way but not being out at training every day is tough.”
Scott, now 35, has built her reputation on a foundation of unwavering work ethic and fearless tackling; it’s almost inconceivable she has remained so durable for so long, save for a fractured foot that sidelined her at the end of the 2018 season.
For now, she works out in the gym at the Current’s training complex in Riverside, Mo. She can watch her teammates training through windows overlooking the club’s training pitch.
“I’m indoors and I’m on this machine called an Assault Bike… and it’s literally torture,” said Scott, who captained the Current to an appearance in the NWSL championship game last fall. “I’m looking out as I’m watching my teammates play the sport. I’d rather just be out there running around with my friends, rather than being in here.”
The Current lost the final 2-0 to the Portland Thorns. A league title, combined with an Olympic gold medal won in 2021 and bronze medals captured in 2012 and ‘16, would have been a fitting end to a distinguished playing career.
“Winning would have been a real icing on the cake deal for me but the (competitive) fire is still there and this injury is obviously reignited that to want to get back and see if I can get where where I was before.”–Desiree Scott
“That would have made some decisions hard,” Scott admitted. “I mean, you have your bucket list of things you want to do — like win a World Cup, winning the Olympics and win the championship for club — I haven’t done that in my career and I’ve been playing for 10 years now in this league. So yeah, I definitely could have been like, ‘Oh, I’ve done quite a bit on that list of mine.’
‘YOU CAN’T TREAT THE GOAT LIKE THAT’
Members of the Canadian women’s soccer team have gone public with their concerns about gender equity with Canada Soccer.
The dispute may have reached a boiling point with the resignation of the federation’s president, Nick Bontis, on Feb. 27.
Canadian captain Christine Sinclair detailed the compensation requested on behalf of the national team. Bontis responded, “What was it Christine was bitching about?”
The slight didn’t go unnoticed.
“I think that was just completely disrespectful,” said Desiree Scott, Sinclair’s longtime teammate. “Especially when she has been putting this (Canadian) shirt on since she was a baby, essentially, and really has just carried this program and and been just a shining star for this country. To kind of hear that response and to treat her in that way was just — I know she felt that and I think all of her teammates felt that…. I was like, ‘You can’t treat the GOAT like that.’”
Members of the Canadian women’s soccer team have gone public with their concerns about gender equity with Canada Soccer.
The dispute may have reached a boiling point with the resignation of the federation’s president, Nick Bontis, on Feb. 27.
Canadian captain Christine Sinclair detailed the compensation requested on behalf of the national team. Bontis responded, “What was it Christine was bitching about?”
The slight didn’t go unnoticed.
“I think that was just completely disrespectful,” said Desiree Scott, Sinclair’s longtime teammate. “Especially when she has been putting this (Canadian) shirt on since she was a baby, essentially, and really has just carried this program and and been just a shining star for this country. To kind of hear that response and to treat her in that way was just — I know she felt that and I think all of her teammates felt that…. I was like, ‘You can’t treat the GOAT like that.’”
And so, the struggle for pay equity and program funding continues.
“I’m a little bit removed from the situation in terms of I’m not fighting the good fight every single day like Quinn, Sophie Schmidt, Janine Beckie and Sinclair are doing, but obviously I get the updates and I know it’s been weighing heavy,” said Scott. “A lot of conversations are falling on deaf ears and just the lack of sort of transparency and understanding of where we’re coming from and where Canada Soccer is at — but I do know that we’re making some positive strides forward.
“There’s been some change within roles within the Canada Soccer board, that I think there are positive as well, to instil some change and I know the conversations are still ongoing. We obviously have a major summer coming up and we want to be able to focus on getting there and performing.”
“Winning would have been a real icing on the cake deal for me but the (competitive) fire is still there and this injury is obviously reignited that to want to get back and see if I can get where where I was before.”
Now, Scott is unwilling to let go. Driven to play again, she re-signed with the Current for the 2023 season and has focused on being fit and sharp enough to qualify for head coach Bev Priestman’s national side.
“When I got my surgery the goal was always to be back for another summer with the team if I made the roster…,” said Scott. “With my surgery, my timelines have me setting up to be there as long as my fitness levels and my knee responds well. I’ve had positive conversations with national team coach as I progress through this — just letting her know I’m keen — and I’m working on getting after it. I know she still thinks I will hold value within the squad.”
This isn’t Scott’s first extended absence from the national team.
In 2020, she took time off to immerse herself in a nine-month legal battle to return her foster brother, DeeJay Sinclair, to the family home in Winnipeg.
When she became DeeJay’s legal guardian in June 2021 — sharing custody with her mom, Charlene Gusberti — Scott considered retirement but opted for another more ambitious plan. DeeJay would accompany her on the road with the Current and the national team — getting the blessing of both organizations.
DeeJay, who turned 13 last week, has adjusted to online learning during soccer season and he’s back at his old school when they return to Winnipeg in the off-season.
“It’s actually gotten easier to be honest as he gets older,” said Scott of the motherhood-pro athlete balancing act. “It was always about bringing him around and being able to focus on my job while also worrying about him. (That) was my biggest challenge, especially as he was around the facility. He’s out on the field as I said. So as he gets older and we’ve done this now, last season, it’s kind of like we have our routine. We know how the days go. He knows where he’s allowed, where he’s not meant to be and it’s kind of just our routine.”
While Scott remains focused on getting in top shape for another World Cup appearance and perhaps, a fourth trip to the Olympics in 2024, she’s been encouraged by developments on the domestic side.
Scott’s former Canadian teammate, Diana Matheson, is a co-founder of Project 8, an organization planning to launch an eight-team women’s pro league across the country by 2025. Groups in Vancouver and Calgary have already signed on.
Scott would appear to be a natural fit for a team in her hometown, should that come to fruition.
“I think it needs to happen, whether I play, it’s probably a bit beyond my time but I’d love to be involved in any capacity with supporting game — being a coach,” said Scott. “We’re a nation especially in the soccer world that needs a professional league in its backyard.”
mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca
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