Zachery Lewis McGraw (born June 8, 1997) is a professional
soccer player who plays as a
defender for
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Cana ...
club
Portland Timbers
The Portland Timbers are an American professional men's soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The Timbers have played their home games at ...
. Born in the United States, he represents the
Canada national team.
Youth and college
McGraw played as part of the
USSDA
The U.S. Soccer Development Academy (DA) was an American soccer league. Formed in 2007, the league features youth academies and youth clubs from various organizations, including Major League Soccer and the United Soccer League. The DA's mission ...
academy side
FC Golden State, graduated from
West High School (Torrance, California)
West High School is a public high school in Torrance, California, United States. The mascot is the Warrior.
History
West High was established in 1962. It serves the area bounded by 190th Street, Hawthorne Boulevard, Sepulveda Boulevard and the ...
in 2015, before playing
college soccer
College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It is very prominent in United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and as well as in South Africa and Philippines, the Philippines. Th ...
at the
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...
in 2016. McGraw made 68 appearances for the Black Knights over four seasons, scoring a single goal and tallying 9 assists. McGraw, who was a four-time First Team All-Patriot League honoree and earned two USCA First Team All-Northeast Region recognition's in 2017 and 2018, and was named a 2019 USCA Third Team All-Northeast Region honoree.
Club career
On January 13, 2020, McGraw was drafted 68th overall in the
2020 MLS SuperDraft
The 2020 MLS SuperDraft was the 21st edition of the SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. The 2020 SuperDraft was the first SuperDraft held exclusively via conference call and web streaming. The first two rounds of the 2020 SuperDraft were ...
by
Portland Timbers
The Portland Timbers are an American professional men's soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The Timbers have played their home games at ...
. He became the first ever Army player drafted in
MLS
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Cana ...
history. McGraw signed with the Timbers on June 22, 2020.
McGraw made his first appearance for Portland on May 1, 2021, starting in a 4–1 loss to
FC Dallas
FC Dallas is an American professional soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes as a member of the Western Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The franchise began play in 1996 as a charter club of the leag ...
. He scored his first MLS goal for Portland on September 1, 2022, netting the game-winner in a 2–1 victory over
Austin FC
Austin FC is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in Austin, Texas. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Founded in 2018, the club began play ...
.
International career
McGraw was born in the United States, to an African-American father and Canadian mother. He holds both American and Canadian nationality. In June 2023, he was named to
Canada's
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by total ...
preliminary roster for the
2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup
The 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup will be the 17th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the biennial international men's football championship of the North, Central American and Caribbean region organized by CONCACAF. The tournament will take place from J ...
. On June 19 McGraw was named to the final 23-man squad. He made his debut in the opening match on June 27 against
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands— Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the ...
.
Career statistics
Club
International
References
External links
West Point WebsitePortland Timbers Website*
{{DEFAULTSORT:McGraw, Zac
1997 births
Living people
Soccer players from Torrance, California
Canadian men's soccer players
Canada men's international soccer players
American men's soccer players
African-American soccer players
Canadian people of African-American descent
American people of Canadian descent
Army Black Knights men's soccer players
Men's association football defenders
Major League Soccer players
MLS Next Pro players
Portland Timbers draft picks
Portland Timbers players
Portland Timbers 2 players
Soccer players from California
Military personnel from California
21st-century African-American sportspeople
21st-century American people
2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup players