Zak Drake

Zak Drake
Personal information
Full name Zachary Ian Samuel Drake
Date of birth (1991-09-02) September 2, 1991 (age 33)
Place of birth Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Full-back
Team information
Current team
 Alliance United FC
Youth career
Nepean City SC
2008 Nacional AC (SP)
2008–2010 Ottawa Fury
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010 Holy Cross Saints 17 (2)
2011–2014 Bethel Pilots 45 (7)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2012 Ottawa Fury SC 2 (0)
2014–2015 FCA Darmstadt
2015–2016 Viktoria 07 Kelsterbach 6 (0)
2015–2016 Viktoria 07 Kelsterbach II 2 (0)
2016 Olympia Warriors 9 (2)
2016 Northcote City 7 (0)
2017 Viktoria 07 Kelsterbach 7 (0)
2017 FC Maia
2018 Las Vegas Lights 6 (0)
2018 Vaughan Azzurri 4 (3)
2019–2021 Oakville Blue Devils FC 16 (0)
2022 Electric City FC 18 (0)
2023– Alliance United FC 27 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of August 28, 2024

Zachary Drake (born September 2, 1991) is a Canadian soccer player who plays for League1 Ontario club Alliance United FC. He plays as a full-back or midfielder.

Early life

Born in Ottawa, Drake played youth soccer with Nepean City SC.[1] In 2008, having impressed on an earlier trip, he went on an extended training months-long training stint with the U17 team of Brazilian club Nacional AC (SP).[2] Afterwards, he joined the Ottawa Fury Academy.[3]

In 2010, he received a scholarship to play at Holy Cross College. After that season, he had a brief training stint with Brazilian club Cruzeiro. In 2011, he transferred to Bethel College.[2] In 2013, he was an NAIA Scholar-Athlete recipient.[4]

Playing career

In 2010, he began playing with Ottawa Fury SC in the Premier Development League.[5]

In 2014, he joined German club FCA Darmstadt.[2]

In 2015, he joined German club Viktoria 07 Kelsterbach, making six league appearances and 11 total appearances.[6][7]

In 2016, he joined Australian club Olympia FC Warriors in the NPL Tasmania.[8][9] He scored his first goal on April 9 against Clarence United,[10] which earned Goal of the Week,[11] Team of the Week,[12] and Player of the Week honours.[13]

In June 2016, he joined another Australian club, Northcote City FC of the NPL Victoria.[14]

Afterwards, he returned to Viktoria 07 Kelsterbach, playing in seven league games.[6][7]

In 2017, he joined Portuguese club FC Maia.[citation needed]

In January 2018, he joined USL club Las Vegas Lights.[15] He debuted in the season opener, before eventually leaving the club shortly after in June.[16]

In the latter part of 2018, he returned to Canada, signing with League1 Ontario club Vaughan Azzurri, scoring two goals in his debut against Ottawa South United.[17] He appeared in four regular season matches, scoring three goals, and also appeared in four playoff matches,[18] winning the League1 Ontario Championship.[19]

In 2019, he joined Oakville Blue Devils FC, playing in 14 regular season matches and four playoff matches, winning the regular season title with the Blue Devils.[20][21] He returned to the club in 2021 (the 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic), playing in two regular season matches and two playoff matches, helping them reach the championship final, where they were defeated, finishing as finalists.[22][21]

Ahead of the 2022 season, he played in a pre-season friendly with Alliance United FC against York United FC.[21] On March 31, 2022, he signed with Electric City FC.[23]

In 2023, he joined Alliance United FC.[24]

References

  1. ^ Starnes, Richard (January 27, 2018). "Young soccer stars get opportunity of lifetime". Ottawa Citizen.
  2. ^ a b c Drake, Zachary (February 17, 2016). "My Journey Summary". Zak Drake Coaching.
  3. ^ "2010 Ottawa Fury Media Guide" (PDF). Ottawa Fury SC.
  4. ^ "Men's Soccer tallies four on the NAIA Scholar Athlete list". Bethel College. December 6, 2013.
  5. ^ "Zachary Drake Stats". SoccerStats.
  6. ^ a b "Statistik" [Statistics]. Viktoria 07 Kelsterbach (in German).
  7. ^ a b "Zak Drake FuPa profile". FuPa.
  8. ^ Pless, Walter (February 17, 2016). "Warriors strengthen their ranks with two impressive new signings". Walter Pless on Association Football. Archived from the original on March 31, 2017.
  9. ^ McManus, Shaun (March 25, 2016). "Wounded Warriors have a point to prove in round two of the NPL Tasmania". The Mercury.
  10. ^ "Drake Thunderbolt Secures Derby Victory". National Premier Leagues. April 9, 2016.
  11. ^ "Goal of the Week Round 5". National Premier Leagues. April 22, 2016.
  12. ^ "PS4 NPL TAS Team of the Week Round 4". National Premier Leagues. April 14, 2016.
  13. ^ "Team of the Week Round 5". National Premier Leagues. April 20, 2016.
  14. ^ "Drake's hotline blings, answers Northcote's call". The Corner Flag. June 11, 2016.
  15. ^ Gotz, Ben (January 16, 2018). "Las Vegas Lights FC add 7 players to preseason roster". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
  16. ^ Gotz, Ben (June 29, 2018). "Lights FC look to MLS loanees for added depth". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
  17. ^ Halis, Irene (September 10, 2018). "Sacramento Hat-Trick, Drake Brace Helps Vaughan Roll Over OSU 9-0". League1 Ontario.
  18. ^ "Zachary Drake 2018 L1O Stats". League1 Ontario.
  19. ^ Baldwin, Dan (October 23, 2018). "L1O Final: Azzurri give Woodbridge the Blues". Northern Starting XI. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020.
  20. ^ "Zachary Drake 2019 L1O Stats". League1 Ontario.
  21. ^ a b c Jacques, John (March 31, 2022). "Electric City FC Adds Former USL Defender Zak Drake". Northern Tribune.
  22. ^ "Zak Drake 2021 L1O Stats". League1 Ontario.
  23. ^ "Electric City FC sign Zachary Drake, Marisa Oliveira". The Peterborough Examiner. March 31, 2022.
  24. ^ "Zak Drake 2023 L1O Stats". League1 Ontario.