Veteran midfielder Desiree Scott looks to make a difference on and off the pitch

Neil Davidson · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jul 10, 2025 10:49 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

Desiree Scott jokes she has been trying to discontinue for years. But the seasoned midfielder, who turns 38 connected July 31, is inactive going beardown with Ottawa Rapid FC of the Northern Super League.

"New opportunities conscionable support knocking connected my door. So I'm grateful for them," she said. "I had a person who told maine earlier 'Run 'til the wheels autumn off' and I've got astir 3 near connected the aged conveyance here.

"The cleanable afloat ellipse to extremity successful a pro league that I've dreamed astir and talked about."

Scott called clip connected her planetary vocation May 31 successful her hometown of Winnipeg, playing successful a 4-1 triumph implicit Haiti that saw her gain her 188th headdress and headdress a distinguished planetary vocation that started successful February 2010.

In her archetypal quality for Canada successful astir a year, Scott played 90 minutes successful what she calls the "perfect sendoff."

"It was genuinely beauteous and they sent maine disconnected successful the astir beauteous way," she added.

Scott had called it quits successful October aft 4 seasons with the NWSL's Kansas City Current. But she came retired of status successful January to articulation Ottawa.

"I americium having fun," said Scott. "I wasn't definite what this twelvemonth was going to bring for maine but I've been thoroughly enjoying it and playing a batch much than I anticipated I would and enjoying the thrust on the way.."

Going into Thursday's crippled astatine AFC Toronto, Scott had played 666 minutes for Ottawa (4-3-2).

WATCH | Scott connected starring a caller epoch of Canadian soccer:

Oldest outfield NSL player

Scott is the oldest outfield subordinate successful the NSL, down lone Halifax Tides goalkeeper Erin McLeod, who turned 42 successful February.

Kristina Kiss, Ottawa's method manager and a erstwhile midfielder who won 75 caps for Canada, initially told the coaching unit they should expect constricted enactment from Scott fixed the miles connected her body.

"And for her to beryllium playing adjacent to 90 minutes each game, she's had the aforesaid interaction we wanted her to person disconnected the tract connected the field," Kiss said. "And it's been perfectly amazing."

Scott worked hard to get successful signifier for the NSL season.

"I don't request play back-to-back 90s by immoderate means but I consciousness similar I'm holding it down and inactive capable to tally astir with the young ones and bash my thing."

Looking to marque a quality disconnected the pitch, Scott has partnered with Contigo Canada connected "Hydrate Her Confidence," a nationalist run "to empower the adjacent procreation of pistillate athletes and leaders done the transformative powerfulness of sport."

Surveys amusement 1 successful 3 Canadian girls volition driblet retired of sports by their precocious teens. The run extremity is to assistance girls beforehand successful sport, astatine school, and aboriginal successful their idiosyncratic and nonrecreational lives, with Contigo donating to Girls Forward Foundation, a nationalist enactment dedicated to empowering girls done sport.

Contigo, which manufactures question mugs and h2o bottles, and Scott program a bid of summertime fundraising lawsuit with proceeds going to the foundation.

Making a difference

Scott is already making a quality with her teammates.

Forward Delaney Baie (DB) Pridham said Scott is "such a magnet," a seasoned ever consenting to supply proposal and a sympathetic receptor erstwhile needed.

"She makes everyone consciousness seen. She makes everyone consciousness comfy and happy" said Pridham. "She has this vigor wherever she locomotion into a country and has everyone laughing, nary substance what is going connected successful their life. She's ever bringing radical up.

"It's ever inspirational to spot the effects she has connected not lone the state arsenic a subordinate but besides conscionable arsenic a person, however overmuch she makes radical consciousness great. She's a existent leader, she's the stone of our team. She brings america each unneurotic and it's thing not galore teams are fortunate capable to have."

Scott says she has ben pleasantly amazed by the modular of play successful the NSL arsenic good arsenic what the six founding clubs are trying to build.

And having played successful the NWSL's inaugural 2013 play southbound of the border, she tin comparison the 2 North American leagues.

"We're leaps and bounds ahead, truthful that's a definite positive," she said.

Scott has besides played for the NWSL's Utah Royals (2018-20) and FC Kansas City (2013 and 2016-2017), England's Notts County (2014-15) and the Vancouver Whitecaps (2006 and 2010-12).

She says she has not fixed "a ton of thought" to her aboriginal aft this season. But she hopes to enactment progressive successful the league successful immoderate way, to assistance it grow.

A antiaircraft midfielder known arsenic The Destroyer for her quality to interruption up plays, Scott ne'er scored for Canada. But she opened her scoring relationship for Ottawa successful its debut outing April 27, knocking the shot location successful a goalmouth scramble successful a 2-1 triumph implicit visiting AFC Toronto.

"It lone took maine 37 years," she said with a chuckle.

"And a perfectly scrappy Destroyer-like extremity arsenic well," she added.