Desiree Scott knew her time was up.

She missed the entire 2023 soccer season because of a knee injury—rehab for a torn meniscus dragged on into an 18-month ordeal—and the death of her mother, Charlene Gusberti, in early 2024 delayed her return to the field by another three weeks.

After being cleared for active duty, the 37-year-old midfielder from Winnipeg couldn’t understand why she was being used so sparingly by the Kansas City Current of the National Women’s Soccer League.

On Thursday morning, Scott confirmed a decision she had been wrestling with for months when she announced she would retire from the NWSL effective at the end of the 2024 season.

“This has been on my mind probably since the beginning of the year, and the way the year has unfolded over the last six months has been challenging for me,” Scott said by phone from Kansas City, where she played in nine months has played Kansas City’s 24 regular season games with just 94 minutes on the field.

“Of course, life outside of football – losing my mother – and then the season just went like that, I didn’t get a lot of game time and the days are getting more and more difficult. I just made the decision that this will be my last season here.”

Thursday’s announcement marks 2024 as their final season in the NWSL. Scott’s retirement from the national team is expected to take place later this year.

She was first left out of the national team’s squad for the 2024 Paris Olympics and was added as an injury replacement before the Games, but never played.

Scott, who won bronze medals with Canada at the 2012 London Games and the 2016 Rio Olympics, capped those successes with a gold medal in Tokyo in 2021.

She will retire as the most decorated soccer player in Manitoba history, having earned 187 caps since joining the national team in 2010.

“I think about the injury I was discussing (retirement) because I didn’t know if I was going to be the same Desiree Scott destroyer mode,” Scott said. “And I’m just going through pre-season and this season is long and what we do as professional athletes is challenging and since life is very hard, I just think when you know, you know.

“That’s the advice I’ve been given and I just feel like this is the perfect time for me to say goodbye.”

Scott has had ongoing conversations about retirement with family members, her son DeeJay and her boyfriend Jerricus Funderburke.

“They know the last year and a half has been very challenging, and they have been on the other end of the phone when I have cried — through the hardships and through the highs,” Scott said. “They were just so supportive. It’s my decision and they said if it is, we enjoyed watching you play. You have done so much for your career. You should be proud and we will be here with open arms when you come home.”

Scott and Funderburke met in Kansas City.

“His best friend plays on the Sporting (KC Major League Soccer) men’s team and was kind of involved in the soccer community that way,” Scott said. “And then we met and the rest is history. He’s at every game every weekend and is one of my biggest supporters.”

Scott’s official retirement game is the club’s final home game of the regular season on Saturday against San Diego Wave FC. The NWSL playoffs are scheduled to begin on November 8th.

After the postseason is over, Scott packs up and moves back to her hometown. Your future in the game is already taking shape.

Christina Litz, president of the fledgling Northern Super League for women’s professional soccer, had previously touted Scott as a potential face of a franchise in Winnipeg. However, a team from the Manitoba capital is not among the six that will play in the NSL’s inaugural season in 2025.

The league plans to expand in 2027, and Scott is in touch with his former teammate Diana Matheson, the NSL’s founder and chief growth officer.

“I have (former national team goalkeeper) Steph Labbé and other friends and former teammates building this league,” Scott said. “I’ve been trying to put pressure on getting a team to Winnipeg and that’s still on my agenda. My involvement in the league will be inevitable. In what capacity exactly, I don’t really know yet.”

Scott downplayed the suggestion that she would apparently choose to serve as general manager of a franchise in Winnipeg.

“No, I hate conflict,” Scott said. “I hate being the bad guy and I think you have to have that side of yourself (to do this job)…

“I have such a big heart and want to make sure people are taken care of. So I definitely have a passion for coaching and a passion for player care.”

The four-time Olympian could also be involved in the national team program.

“I don’t think it’s going to hit me until I’m done and sitting at home and not having to wake up to train and no one telling me where to go and what runs to do,” he told Scott. “It will be pretty drastic, I’m sure. And a big change. But I’ve had such a wonderful career, so I look back and am thankful and grateful for everything I’ve been through and done.”

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Mike Sawatzky
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Mike Sawatzky is a sports reporter at the Free press. He has worked for the newspaper since 2003. Read more about Mike.

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