It’s been four months since COVID-19 put the sports world on hold. It was full of uncertainty for the Canadian midfielder Desiree Scott.
First, the Tokyo Olympics were postponed. Then her season in the National Women’s Soccer League was temporarily interrupted. And now, as her Utah Royals begin their journey at the League’s Challenge Cup, the 32-year-old Winnipeg American announced that she would not be playing for personal reasons.
“This game is all I know and it is very important to me,” she wrote on Twitter. “But one thing that is closer, more expensive and always comes first is my family. Unfortunately, I will not be playing in the Challenge Cup. Also disappointed not to step on this field today, but we’ll see you soon.”
A Canada Soccer spokeswoman said Scott had returned to Winnipeg.
CLOCK | Canadian veteran Diana Matheson meets Houston Dash:
Scott, the two-time Olympic bronze medalist nicknamed “The Destroyer” for her brick wall game, is one of the longest serving members of the Canadian team with 156 caps.
To say it was a different summer than expected would be an understatement. She told CBC Sports last week that her biggest challenge in the past four months has been to answer some tough questions about her future.
“I am one of the older players on my team, whether Canada or the Utah Royals, and I have long wondered where this heading is and how long it will take.”
“You look at your career and think, ‘Am I going into early retirement, is it time to hang up your boots?’ I think finding that motivation, I keep going, was probably the hardest part of that time. “
If you’ve followed Scott’s soccer career, you know she proudly represents her hometown of Winnipeg, no matter where she goes, whether it’s professional stints in England or the United States, or traveling around the world with Team Canada.
Scott, Burnett help feed communities
This has gained added importance through their recent collaboration with Mondelez International, the parent company of the snack brands Ritz, Oreo and Cadbury. The company has partnered with Scott and three-time Olympic trampoline player Jason Burnett to donate $ 40,000 to the Winnipeg Harvest Food Bank and Daily Bread Food Bank in Etobicoke, Ont.
The Feeding Hope in Canada campaign also donated $ 75,000 to the Canadian Olympic Foundation.
Scott said it is difficult to see that more than 70,000 Manitobans rely on food banks every month.
“Eating is such a basic necessity. You can tell that there are people who have difficulty meeting their basic needs on a daily basis,” she said. “It is so important to be part of this connection with Winnipeg Harvest, especially now in Covid, where things can also be enlarged.”
Burnett’s commitment to Daily Bread dates back to 2012 after the London Olympics. He volunteered in the laundry basket every Friday for a year and a half and organized various areas of food (fruit and vegetables, canned goods, bread, etc.) for customers.
But doing something on a larger scale makes sense.
“The communities I grew up in, including Etobicoke, helped me raise myself,” he said. “There has been a lot of support over the years. Without this support, an athlete like me simply does not develop the confidence to perform on an international stage or does not necessarily have the resources to get on the international stage at all.”
“I’m really grateful, that’s why I think it’s so important to support them in these challenging times.”
CLOCK | Portland Thorns and the North Carolina Courage players kneel before the game:
Burnett, who won a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, is in what he calls a transition phase of his career.
Olympic qualification for Tokyo was interrupted because of the pandemic, and at the age of 33 and three Olympics, it is a big question whether he will qualify for another. But right now he’s enjoying his role as a mentor for the next generation of Canadian trampoline players.
“It is important that they learn from the experience that Rosie has had [MacLennan] and I have had it in the past, and when it is your turn to shine and step up on this international stage, you can be better prepared for the pressures ahead, “said Burnett.
Scott had been looking forward to the Challenge Cup and said she felt safe in the Utah bubble, where her Royals and seven other NWSL teams lead World Cup style, despite having mixed feelings about returning to sport in the midst from COVID-19 had tournament.
“There is so much going on in the world, it’s nice to be able to kick a soccer ball and play with my friends again. I am very happy and happy to have this social interaction to be able to do this,” Scott said before the Announcement on Monday.
And although she’s not on the pitch for the time being, Scott is still cheering from afar, especially her Canadian team-mate Diana Matheson, who scored a goal in the Royals opening against Houston Dash.
“The first game in a year and a half for the Royals and it starts with a GOAL. Proud teammie.”
