Zachary Robert Loyd (born July 18, 1987) is an American former professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player. He played for FC Dallas and Atlanta United in

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

and represented the USMNT. Loyd is currently the head coach for

Lone Star Republic The Republic of Texas ( es, República de Tejas) was a sovereign state in North America that existed from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846, that bordered Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande in 1840 (another breakaway republic from Me ...

in the United Premier Soccer League.

Career

College and amateur

Loyd is the one of four sons of Alan and Kathleen Loyd. Loyd grew up in

Verdigris, Oklahoma Verdigris is an incorporated town in Rogers County, Oklahoma, United States, in the Tulsa metropolitan area. It straddles former U.S. Highway 66 (now State Highway 66) between Catoosa and Claremore. Verdigris had a population of 3,993 at the 2 ...

, attended Verdigris High School and played college soccer at the University of North Carolina (UNC) from 2006 to 2009. While at UNC, Loyd scored 7 goals and recorded 10 assists. Loyd also garnered a spot on the NCAA College Cup All-Tournament Team his junior year. Loyd assisted Brian Shriver for a game-winning goal against No. 1 Wake Forest in the national semifinal, advancing UNC to the College Cup final to face Maryland. During his college years Loyd also played for Carolina Dynamo in the USL Premier Development League. At the

2010 MLS SuperDraft 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

Combine, experts praised Loyd's efforts, saying, "If Tchani was the best player at the combine, Loyd was the second most impressive. His ability to play well at whatever position he was put in showed off all of his many qualities, including a good passing touch, hard-nosed defending, a good ability to read the game, and surprising pace." "He's just a good all-around player, and the scary part is, he didn't really play much at what is probably his best position, defensive midfield," said another MLS head coach. "In our league, where you have the salary cap and the small roster, finding a player who can help you at a variety of positions is like finding gold."

Professional

Loyd was drafted in the first round (5th overall) of the

by FC Dallas. He made his professional debut on April 10, 2010, in a game against Columbus Crew with Loyd playing all 90 minutes of the 2–2 draw. During the

2010 MLS season The 2010 Major League Soccer season was the 98th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer, the 32nd with a national first-division league, in the United States and Canada, and the 15th in MLS history. It began on March 25 at Seattle's Qwest Field with ...

, Loyd appeared in 24 matches and started 19 of them. Loyd was named to the MLS Team of Week 1 of the 2011 season for his performance against the Chicago Fire. He scored his first MLS goal on June 25, 2011, during a 4–0 win against the

Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional men's soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The Timbers have played their home games at P ...

. The goal came off a corner kick from Daniel Hernandez. Loyd scored FC Dallas' opening goal for the

2012 MLS season The 2012 Major League Soccer season was the 100th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States and Canada, the 34th with a national first-division league, and the 17th season of Major League Soccer. The regular season began on March ...

, in a match against the New York Red Bulls. Loyd spent his early years with Dallas primarily as the starting right back. In his later years, he primarily played more as a center back. After an injury cut short his 2016 season, Loyd was selected by Atlanta United in the 2016 expansion draft. After being put on the season-ending injury list in August 2017 the option on his contract was declined at the end of the 2017 season. His only game for Atlanta came in the US Open Cup.

International

On January 22, 2011, Loyd made his international debut in a friendly match against Chile, where he started at the left-back position. The game ended in a 1–1 draw with Loyd playing 73 minutes. He was named Man of the Match.

Personal life

During his time at North Carolina, Loyd majored in exercise and sport science, and planned a career as a teacher and coach after soccer. Loyd has three brothers, two of whom played at Benedictine College. He married professional soccer player Casey Nogueira, whom he met when they both played soccer at North Carolina, on October 13, 2012. The couple coach Vickery United, a youth soccer team for refugees in the

North Dallas North Dallas is an area of numerous communities and neighborhoods in Dallas, Texas (United States). The phrase "North Dallas" is also sometimes used to include any suburb or exurb north of Dallas proper within the metropolitan area. The majority of ...

neighborhood of Vickery Meadow.

Honors

University of North Carolina

* NCAA College Cup All-Tournament Team (1): 2008 * NCAA Final Four Appearances (2): 2008, 2009

FC Dallas

Western Conference Championship (1):

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

* Major League Soccer Supporters' Shield (1):

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

* Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (1):

References

External links

*
North Carolina bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Loyd, Zach 1987 births Living people People from Rogers County, Oklahoma American men's soccer players Soccer players from Oklahoma North Carolina Fusion U23 players FC Dallas players Atlanta United FC players North Carolina Tar Heels men's soccer players USL League Two players Major League Soccer players United States men's international soccer players FC Dallas draft picks Men's association football defenders All-American college men's soccer players American soccer coaches