Kerry Zavagnin
{{Short description|American soccer player (born 1974)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Kerry Zavagnin
| image = CINvSKC 2019-04-07 - cropped (47507684702).jpg
| caption = Zavagnin coaching for Sporting Kansas City in 2019.
| full_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1974|7|2}}
| birth_place = Plymouth, Michigan, United States
| height = {{height|ft=5|in=10}}
| position = Defensive midfielder
| collegeyears1 = 1992–1995
| college1 = North Carolina Tar Heels
| years1 = 1993
| clubs1 = Raleigh Flyers{{cite news |last=Harris |first=Tom |date=1993-06-04 |title=Flyers face stern test against Greensboro tonight |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/656180892/ |work=The News & Observer |location=Raleigh, NC |access-date=2021-08-21 }}
| caps1 =
| goals1 =
| years2 = 1996
| clubs2 = Raleigh Flyers
| caps2 =
| goals2 =
| years3 = 1997–1998
| clubs3 = MetroStars
| caps3 = 39
| goals3 = 0
| years4 = 1997
| clubs4 = → Long Island Rough Riders (loan)
| caps4 = 2
| goals4 = 0
| years5 = 1999
| clubs5 = Lehigh Valley Steam
| caps5 = 24
| goals5 = 2
| years6 = 2000–2008
| clubs6 = Kansas City Wizards
| caps6 = 205
| goals6 = 5
| nationalyears1 = 2000–2006
| nationalteam1 = United States
| nationalcaps1 = 21
| nationalgoals1 = 0
| manageryears1 = 2009–2025
| managerclubs1 = Sporting Kansas City (assistant)
| manageryears2 = 2025–
| managerclubs2 = Sporting Kansas City (interim)
}}
Kerry Zavagnin ({{IPAc-en|z|ə|ˈ|v|æ|ɡ|n|ɪ|n}}; born July 2, 1974) is an American former professional soccer player who is the interim manager of Sporting Kansas City. A defensive midfielder, he spent most of his career with Kansas City Wizards of Major League Soccer. He made 21 appearances for the United States national team.
Career
=Early career=
Zavagnin went to and played soccer for Detroit Catholic Central High School.
He played his college soccer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 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.
=Professional career=
File:KerryZavagnin 20060410.jpg.]]
Zavagnin was born in Plymouth, Michigan. After one year with the Flyers, he was drafted 21st overall with the first pick of the third round 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, and did not acquit himself well, playing himself out of MLS. In 1997, the MetroStars sent him on loan to the Long Island Rough Riders of the USISL.[http://www.liroughriders.com/history/325666.html Long Island Rough Riders All Time Stats] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120225120839/http://www.liroughriders.com/history/325666.html |date=2012-02-25 }}
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 remained an important contributor to the Wizards for the next six 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 eight years in the league, Zavagnin scored five goals and added 20 assists in regular season play.
Zavagnin received 21 caps for the U.S. national team, making his debut October 25, 2000, against US arch-rival Mexico.
In August, 2008, Zavagnin announced that he would retire at the end of the season.{{cite web| url = https://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/kerry-zavagnin-to-retire-from-mls-1.734733| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121104095348/http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2008/08/15/mls-wizards-zavagnin.html| archive-date = 2012-11-04| title = Kerry Zavagnin to retire from MLS - CBC News}}
= Coaching career =
In 2009, Zavagnin joined Sporting Kansas City as an assistant coach.
On March 31, 2025, after Sporting Kansas City parted ways with Peter Vermes, Zavagnin was named interim manager for the remainder of the season.{{Cite web |title=Sporting KC mutually agrees to part ways with Manager Peter Vermes |url=https://www.sportingkc.com/news/sporting-kc-mutually-agrees-to-part-ways-with-manager-peter-vermes |access-date=2025-03-31 |website=Sporting Kansas City |language=en}}
Career statistics
As of July 25
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition | |||||||||
| rowspan="2"|Club
!rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="2"|Domestic !colspan="2"|Playoffs !colspan="2"|US Open Cup !colspan="2"|Continental !colspan="2"|Total | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps
!Goals !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals | |||||||||
| rowspan="8"|Kansas City Wizards
|2006* |19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 2005
|28 | 0 | 28 | 0 | ||||||
| 2004
|24 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 28 | 0 | ||||
| 2003
|29 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 32 | 1 | ||||
| 2002
|27 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 31 | 1 | ||||
| 2001
|27 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 31 | 1 | ||||
| 2000
|31 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 39 | 2 | ||||
| Total
!185 | 5 | 20 | 0 | 189 | 5 | ||||
| rowspan="3"|MetroStars
|1998 |18 | 0 | 18 | 0 | ||||||
| 1997
|21 | 0 | 21 | 0 | ||||||
| Total
!39 | 0 | 39 | 0 | ||||||
| colspan="2"|Career total
!228 | 5 | 20 | 0 | 228 | 5 |
Honors
Kansas City Wizards
- MLS Cup: 2000
- Supporters' Shield: 2000
- U.S. Open Cup: 2004
Individual
- MLS Best XI: 2004
- Major League Soccer All-Star Game: 2004
- Sporting Legend: Class of 2016 {{cite web |title=Kerry Zavagnin to be inducted into Sporting Legends Hall of Fame on Saturday |url=https://www.sportingkc.com/post/2016/08/16/kerry-zavagnin-be-inducted-sporting-legends-hall-honor-saturday |website=Sporting KC |publisher=MLS Digital |access-date=13 April 2020}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.ussoccerplayers.com/players/kerry%5Fzavagnin/ Kerry Zavagnin profile on US National Soccer Players Association]
- {{MLS player|kerry-zavagnin}}
- [https://sports.yahoo.com/mls/news?slug=ap-mls-wizards-zavagnin&prov=ap&type=lgns|Wizards' Zavagnin calls it a career in the MLS]
{{Kansas City Wizards squad}}
{{2004 MLS Best XI}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zavagnin, Kerry}}
Category:People from Plymouth, Michigan
Category:Soccer players from Wayne County, Michigan
Category:American men's soccer players
Category:Sporting Kansas City players
Category:Lehigh Valley Steam players
Category:Long Island Rough Riders players
Category:Major League Soccer players
Category:New York Red Bulls players
Category:North Carolina Tar Heels men's soccer players
Category:Raleigh Express players
Category:United States men's international soccer players
Category:USISL Select League players
Category:Major League Soccer All-Stars
Category:United States men's under-20 international soccer players
Category:Colorado Rapids draft picks
Category:Sporting Kansas City draft picks
Category:A-League (1995–2004) players
Category:Sporting Kansas City non-playing staff
Category:Men's association football midfielders