kerry zavagnin

Kerry Zavagnin (born July 2, 1974 in Plymough, Michigan) is an American soccer player, who currently plays defensive midfielder for the Kansas City Wizards of Major League Soccer, and sparingly for the United States men's national soccer team. Zavagnin played his college soccer at the University of North Carolina 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, one of the two major outdoor second divisions in US soccer, for their 1996 season. After one year with the Flyers, Zavagnin was drafted 21st overall in the 1997 MLS Supplemental Draft by the Colorado Rapids. Before playing a single game for the Rapids, however, Kerry was traded to the New York/New Jersey MetroStars, in exchange for Peter Vermes. Zavagnin played 1743 minutes for the Metros in 1997 and 1998, establishing himself in the minds of the faithful fans as one of the worst players to ever wear the jersey, before returning to the minor leagues. 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, and was one of the best defensive teams in the league's history. Zavagnin has remained an important contributor to the Wizards for the last four 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. In seven years in the league, Zavagnin has scored five goals and added 16 assists in regular season play. Although Zavagnin has had a few opportunities with the national team, any possibility of ever securing a permanent role with the team is unlikely, due to a glut of talented American defensive midfielders including Claudio Reyna, Chris Armas, Richard Mulrooney, and Pablo Mastroeni. Zavagnin has nevertheless received seven caps for the national team, making his debut October 25, 2000 against US arch-rival Mexico.

Kerry Zavagnin

See also