Perseverance pays for Scott

As Zach Scott described during a recent chat on our mid-day talk show Maui’s ESPN 550, he took the long route to Major League Soccer.

After seven seasons with Sounders F.C., the former Maui High standout has become the first Valley Isle player to make the roster of a team in the top tier of American pro soccer when he signed last week with the expansion Seattle Sounders of MLS.

Last night, he was in the starting lineup for Seattle and had a solid performance at left back as the Sounders celebrated their MLS debut with a 3-0 romp past the New York Red Bulls before more than 30,000 fans at Qwest Field and a national television audience.

Scott excelled at both football and soccer in high school, before competing in soccer at Gonzaga University, where he was teammates with fellow Sabers alum J.C. Fernandes and another Hawaii boy, Brian Ching, who is also a big-time success story.

Ching has played on four championship teams in MLS, for the San Jose Earthquakes and Houston Dynamo, and is regular included on the roster of the U.S. National Team.

Meantime, Scott continued to toil away in pro soccer’s equivalent of Triple-A, earning respect around the league for being a physical presence on the field.

After a lengthy tryout process that lasted nearly two months, Scott finally landed an MLS contract and a starting spot in his expansion team’s season opener.

For the folks here on Maui who contributed to his development and followed his career, it was a great source of pride to see – on national TV, no less — a Maui boy playing at the highest level of American soccer and playing well.