Besides four minutes of mop-up duty, veteran midfielder Kerry Zavagnin didn't see the field with the Kansas City Wizards' first team from June 28 to August 2. But that only delayed the inevitable.
In the 56th minute of Saturday's victory against Chivas USA, after regaining his spot in center midfield the week before, Zavagnin became the all-time minutes leader in Wizards history. Already the club's all-time leader in games played, the 34-year-old surpassed former K.C. defender Nick Garcia's 20,158 minutes, accrued from 2000-2007.
"It's a situation where you need to perform on a daily and a weekly basis. After playing in this league for over 10 years, I understand there are going to be times where you won't be playing," he said. "But I've always maintained the same concentration, the same focus, and the same approach to the game."
Zavagnin joined Kansas City for the 2000 season, coming back into the league after being drafted by then-coach Bob Gansler in the third round of the MLS SuperDraft. After playing for the MetroStars in 1997 and '98, Zavagnin spent the 1999 season with the Lehigh Valley Steam in the A-League (now USL1). It was a setback that made the Michigan native all the more determined.
"When I played with the MetroStars and went to the A-League, I was going to give myself one season to get back into MLS. If it didn't work out, I was going to quit the game," Zavagnin said. "I wasn't going to let myself play at a level that I wasn't pleased with, because I like the game, I don't love the game so much that I have to play it. I want to be good at it."
Starting 31 games for the Wizards' 2000 MLS Cup-winning side that set a league record with 13 shutouts on the season proved that the search-and-destroy midfielder had staying power.
"When I first came to Kansas City, I had three goals in mind: to become a starter on a regular basis, to play on a championship team, and to be in an organization that believed in me," Zavagnin said.
Through the years, Zavagnin grew into a more-rounded player, made the MLS All-Star team and the MLS Best XI in 2004 while helping K.C. reach a second MLS Cup Final, and made 21 appearances for the U.S. national team. Last season saw him reach a career high with three goals, two of them long-range missiles.
"To play most of my career here means a lot to me. It means that coaches believed in me here, I had good teammates to play with, and it's a reflection that I'm a consistent player and stayed relatively injury-free," said the one-time All-American placekicker at Catholic Central H.S. in Redford, Mich. "Those are all positives, so as I end my career, I can look back and think that I accomplished a standard that I was happy with, regardless of what anyone else thought."
Life is unfortunately rich in situations where other people's opinions impact many beyond themselves. In the lead-up to the 2006 World Cup, Zavagnin did not enjoy playing soccer as he put "too much pressure" on himself to make the final roster that would play in Germany.
The experience and result -- being named as an alternate -- might have been enough to send a lesser person's career on a downward spiral. But today, as Zavagnin is helping solidify the Wizards in their run to make the playoffs, he is as confident, jovial, and happy as ever.
When told of Zavagnin's all-time minutes accomplishment, center midfield partner Sasha Victorine had to get in some digs.
"I knew he was an old man, but I didn't know he was that old," Victorine said.
Asked what trait has most helped Zavagnin achieve his longevity, Victorine quipped "his hair," in a swipe at Zavagnin's perennially well-placed locks.
"He's very good at organizing. You always know where Kerry is out on the field because he's always talking. From his experience, I have a level of confidence when I play next to him that I can step to someone and know he's going to give me cover and be in a good position," said a more serious Victorine. "So you don't really have to look over your shoulder to make sure someone's there. He does smart things out there. He understands how soccer should be played."
And when coach Curt Onalfo, who is a cancer survivor, acknowledges a player's perseverance, it means a lot.
"It's a tribute to extreme determination, hard work, and just a classy guy, so I couldn't be anymore happy and proud that he got those [record-breaking] minutes with me as a head coach," said Onalfo.
As Zavagnin looks to add to his 20,192 minutes with the Wizards, one wonders what he would be doing now if he hadn't made his way back to MLS.
"I would have gone into coaching a little bit earlier. I was 26 years old. As I look back on it, after my year in the A-League, I called every coach in MLS for a tryout. I was willing to pay my way anywhere," he said. "I look at some of the young guys today and think about the things that you have to go through sometimes to break through. You can see it in some of the young guys that they have the mental strength to do that. I'm happy that I was able to fight through those tough times and, for the most part, have a happy career."
The saying goes that one is not responsible for all that happens in life, just for how he reacts to it. It's a lesson Zavagnin has learned well. Happiness takes determination.
"It's worked out for me here in Kansas City," Zavagnin said. "I couldn't be happier to be in a situation like this because it's not common for a player to be at one place for this many years. I'm happy with that."
Bob Rusert is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
