Kerry Zavagnin (; born July 2, 1974 in

Plymouth, Michigan Plymouth is a city in Wayne County, Michigan, United States. The population was 9,370 at the 2020 census. The city of Plymouth is surrounded by Plymouth Township, but the two are administered autonomously. Plymouth is a western suburb of Metro ...

) is an American former soccer

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

, who last played

defensive midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundari ...

for the Kansas City Wizards of Major League Soccer, and sparingly for the US national team. Kerry Zavaginin also went to and played soccer for

Detroit Catholic Central High School Detroit Catholic Central High School, commonly known as Catholic Central (CC), is a private, Catholic, all-male, college preparatory high school in Novi, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1928 in Detroit, Michigan by the Archdiocese of Detro ...

. He is currently an assistant coach with Sporting Kansas City. Zavagnin played his college soccer at the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

from 1992 to 1995, where he registered 22 goals and 24 assists in 76 games. Upon graduating, Zavagnin joined the Raleigh Flyers of the

USISL United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

, one of the two major outdoor second divisions in US soccer, for their 1996 season.

Professional career

After one year with the Flyers, Zavagnin was drafted 21st overall with the first pick of the third round in the

1997 MLS Supplemental Draft The 1997 Major League Soccer Supplemental Draft was held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on February 2, 1997. Round 1 Round 1 trades Round 2 Round 2 trades Round 3 Round 3 trades References {{DEFAULTSORT:1997 Mls Supplemental Draft ...

by the

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, lat ...

. Before playing a single game for the Rapids, however, Kerry was traded to the

New York/New Jersey MetroStars New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

, in exchange for

Peter Vermes Peter Joseph Vermes (; born November 21, 1966) is an American professional soccer coach and former player. He is currently the head coach of Sporting Kansas City in Major League Soccer. As of 2022, Vermes is currently the longest-tenured head c ...

. Zavagnin played 1743 minutes for the Metros in 1997 and 1998, and did not acquit himself well, playing himself out of MLS. In 1997, the MetroStars sent him on loan to the

Long Island Rough Riders The Long Island Rough Riders are an American association football, soccer team based in South Huntington, New York, United States. Founded in 1994, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team plays i ...

of the

. Zavagnin joined the Lehigh Valley Steam of the A-League for the 1999 season. After one season in the A-League, Zavagnin returned to MLS after being drafted 30th overall in the 2000 MLS SuperDraft by the Kansas City Wizards. Zavagnin quickly established himself with the Wizards, playing 2743 minutes at midfield for a team that would both go on to win the

MLS Cup The MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The game is held in November and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Conferen ...

, and was one of the best defensive teams in the league's history. Zavagnin remained an important contributor to the Wizards for the next six years, playing a quiet defensive role, and establishing himself as one of the better, though also one of the least recognized, midfielders in the league. In 2004, Zavagnin began to be recognized among the league's elite. He won a lot of praise for running the Wizards midfield, and was named to the

MLS Best XI The MLS Best XI is an annual acknowledgment of the best eleven players in Major League Soccer. Winners *Players in bold were awarded the Landon Donovan MVP Award for that season. Most appearances by a player The following players have appeared ...

. In eight years in the league, Zavagnin scored five goals and added 20 assists in regular season play. Zavagnin received 21 caps for the U.S. national team, making his debut October 25, 2000 against US arch-rival

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. In August, 2008, Zavagnin announced that he would retire at the end of the season.

Career statistics

As of July 25

Honors

Kansas City Wizards *

: 2000 * Supporters' Shield: 2000 * U.S. Open Cup: 2004 Individual *

: 2004 *

Major League Soccer All-Star Game The Major League Soccer All-Star Game is an annual soccer game held by Major League Soccer featuring selected players from the league against an international club or selected players from Liga MX. MLS initially adopted a traditional all-star gam ...

: 2004 *Sporting Legend: Class of 2016

References

External links

Kerry Zavagnin profile on US National Soccer Players Association
*
Zavagnin calls it a career in the MLS
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zavagnin, Kerry 1974 births People from Plymouth, Michigan Living people American soccer players Soccer players from Michigan Sporting Kansas City players Lehigh Valley Steam players Long Island Rough Riders players Major League Soccer players New York Red Bulls players North Carolina Tar Heels men's soccer players Raleigh Flyers players United States men's international soccer players USISL Select League players Major League Soccer All-Stars United States men's under-20 international soccer players Colorado Rapids draft picks Sporting Kansas City draft picks A-League (1995–2004) players Sporting Kansas City non-playing staff Association football midfielders Detroit Catholic Central High School alumni