Scott finds toughest job on sidelines
Injured midfielder tries to stay positive as a first-time spectator
The last time Desiree Scott suffered a major injury, she was about 12 years old.
That broken collarbone was nothing compared to the fractured right foot she suffered in September, on the first full day of training camp before the CONCACAF women’s championship. The 31-year-old was out of the tournament before it even started.
In the eight years since she debuted for the Canadian women’s national team, the squad has rarely been without The Destroyer, the nickname Scott earned for her dogged play in midfield. She will likely play fewer than 10 game for her country this calendar year, a career low; at one point, from 2012 to 2016, Scott played in 68 consecutive Canadian matches.
This injury came at the “worst possible time,” Scott told the Star from the tournament in Edinburg, Texas, where Canada is 2-0 in the opening round, with another game Thursday against Costa Rica.
“It really, really sucks to be honest, if I’m keeping it real,” she said. “It’s kind of my first major tournament that I’ve missed since I’ve been on the squad ...
“I’m trying to just keep a posi- tive head on my shoulders but, yeah, it sucks seeing the team succeed and not being a part of that.”
Scott is still working out six days a week despite the boot on her foot, and still going to training sessions. She has also taken on a specific leadership role within the squad, helping keep the team upbeat and connected off the field.
And she is keeping a close eye on Rebecca Quinn, who will get sometime in the defensivemidfield role that Scott normally occupies.
“I’ve also taken on a little bit of tactical stuff, helping the players that are in the midfield ... anything I see on field, I have a bit of a different vantage point this time.”
A number of Scott’s former Canadian teammates have transitioned from player to staff within the Canadian Soccer Association since their retirements. Former defender Robyn Gayle is the EXCEL mental and cultural manager for both the women’s and men’s sides; former defender Rhian Wilkinson is a technical assistant with the women’s team during this tournament; and former striker Melissa Tancredi, who works as a chiropractor in Vancouver, was in camp with the team prior to the competition as a massage therapist.
Scott said those former players do a “fabulous” job in their new roles but she isn’t sure that will be the path she takes come retirement, which is still a ways away if she has it her way.
“I don’t know I’m up to par to what they’re doing,” she said. “I love being in a team setting, I’m happy to bounce any way I can, but I don’t know if being full-on tactical would be my thing. I think if I can roam and enjoy the environment in any way, I think that’s the biggest thing for me.”