Scott hoping to represent Canada at fourth Olympics

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This article was published 14/06/2024 (479 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Desiree Scott was hoping to make her national women’s soccer team swansong with a fourth and final appearance at the Olympics this summer.

It would be a dream scenario.

The Winnipegger would be chasing a fourth Olympic medal to add to a remarkable collection that already includes gold from Tokyo in 2021 and bronze medals from 2016 in Rio and London in 2012.

Just how realistic is that plan for the veteran midfielder, who spent most of the last 18 months rehabilitating a serious knee injury? Scott says she’s fully recovered from surgery to repair a torn meniscus in January of 2022 but limited playing time with and Team Canada and her club team, the National Women’s Soccer League’s KC Current, could close the door to Paris.

“It’s been tough,” said Scott from Kansas City Friday afternoon. “When you’re not healthy, you have kind of have a reason to (be out of the lineup) but I’m back healthy. I’m training, I’m fit, I’m feeling good. It’s been weird, definitely. In my entire career I’ve been so fortunate to be a main player and in that starting 11, so it’s been tough. I’ve just been trying to take it in stride, one day at a time and remember who I am as a player and what I bring and hopefully I’ll get some more minutes.”

Playing time has come at a premium with the Current, which led the NWSL with eight wins and four draws in 12 games entering Friday’s action against the Chicago Red Stars. Scott, who turns 37 on July 31, has appeared in only three games with KC for a total of about 60 minutes.

Her playing time has been impacted by an influx of new talent in the Current midfield, including Brazil’s Debinha and Americans Vanessa Dibernardo and Claire Hutton, and tactical changes that have lessened the need for more defensively minded players such as Scott.

“I’m fully healthy,” said Scott, who was away from the team in Winnipeg for three weeks to start the season before and after the death of her mom, Charlene Gusberti. “And our team, as you can see, it’s doing very, very well. We’re undefeated at the moment. My role has definitely changed in an unforeseen way with the club. There’s no particular reason for it, although, at the beginning of preseason, I had some time away, with my mom’s passing. After that I had national team camp and there was just a gap of time that I was away from the squad and things kind of happened in the background while I was away.

“The team started to gel and solidify. Everything is earned around here. We have a very competitive squad and things have just kind of run away and kind of out of my control. I’m trying to get back into the mix, but it’s not as easy to do as I anticipated.”

Scott’s outlook doesn’t seem to be much more encouraging with the national team.

She was recalled to train with Bev Priestman’s squad on March 28 and made available to play in the SheBelieves Cup in April but served as a substitute and did not play in any of Canada’s tournament games.

In June, she was on Canada’s roster for a pair of friendlies against Mexico and saw only spot duty, coming on in the 76th minute of a 2-0 win on June 1 and in the 72nd minute on a 1-1 draw on June 4. Those are hardly the workhorse conditions that had made her a mainstay of the nats since 2010.

“That was our final camp before Olympic rosters get announced, so I’m happy that I got some time there,” said Scott. “The coaches were happy with where I was at, but again, I think there’s just a lot of factors to be included: I’ve been out for a while… I definitely do feel confident there’s a place for Desiree Scott within the (national) team, both on and off the field. But time will tell.”

Olympic rosters must be announced by June 30 with Canada’s pre-Games training camp set to begin on July 8. The women’s soccer tournament in Paris is scheduled for July 25 to Aug. 10.

“It’s really a toss up, but I’m hoping that Bev makes the right decision,” said Scott. “I do think there’s there’s a spot for me there but I would just probably be in a different role, but I honestly don’t know until I can get that phone call.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca