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 FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The franchise be ...

and

Atlanta United Atlanta United FC, commonly known as Atlanta United, is an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference. Founded in 2014, Atlanta United began pl ...

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 The United States men's national soccer team (USMNT) represents the United States in men's international soccer competitions. The team is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and is a member of FIFA and CONCACAF. The U.S. team ha ...

. Loyd is currently the head coach for Lone Star Republic in the

United Premier Soccer League The United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) is an American soccer league that was founded in Santa Ana in Southern California, with teams in regionalized conferences throughout the United States, and recently Canada and Mexico. The league was found ...

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 The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

(UNC) from 2006 to 2009. While at UNC, Loyd scored 7 goals and recorded 10 assists. Loyd also garnered a spot on the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

College Cup All-Tournament Team his junior year. Loyd assisted

Brian Shriver Brian Patrick Shriver (born August 5, 1987 in Clearwater, Florida) is a former American soccer player. Career Youth and college Shriver was an All-state performer at Clearwater High School, where he served as team captain for three years an ...

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 North Carolina Fusion U-23, formerly known as Carolina Dynamo, is an American soccer team based in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1993, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The ...

in the

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syste ...

. At the 2010 MLS SuperDraft 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 2010 MLS SuperDraft by

. He made his professional debut on April 10, 2010, in a game against

Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as one ...

with Loyd playing all 90 minutes of the 2–2 draw. During the 2010 MLS season, 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, in a match against the

New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The club was established in October 1994 and be ...

. Loyd spent his early years with Dallas primarily as the starting

right back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

. In his later years, he primarily played more as a center back. After an injury cut short his 2016 season, Loyd was selected by

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 The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in men's Soccer in the United States, soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing nati ...

International

On January 22, 2011, Loyd made his international debut in a

friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...

against

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

, where he started at the

left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

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 Benedictine College is a private Benedictine liberal arts college in Atchison, Kansas, United States. It was established in 1971 by the merger of St. Benedict's College (founded 1858) for men and Mount St. Scholastica College (founded 1923) for ...

. He married professional soccer player

Casey Nogueira Casey Nicole Loyd (; born February 23, 1989) is an American professional soccer midfielder who most recently played for FC Kansas City of the NWSL in 2013. She had previously played for the Los Angeles Sol, Sky Blue FC and Chicago Red Stars i ...

, 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 Vickery Meadow is an ethnically-diverse neighborhood consisting almost exclusively of apartment complexes in Northeast Dallas, Texas, United States. The Vickery Midtown Public Improvement District states the neighborhood is bounded by Northwest ...

Honors

University of North Carolina

College Cup All-Tournament Team (1): 2008 *

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 The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in that country. The 2023 U.S. O ...

(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