Dominick Zator

Dominick Zator

Zator in 2021
Personal information
Full name	Dominick Lukasz Zator [1]
Date of birth	(1994-09-18) September 18, 1994 (age 30)
Place of birth	Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Height	1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s)	Centre-back, right-back
Team information
Current team	Korona Kielce
Number	2
Youth career
	CalGlen FC
	Calgary Foothills
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2012–2016	Calgary Dinos	67	(6)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2015–2016	Calgary Foothills	22	(1)
2017	Whitecaps FC 2	8	(0)
2018	Calgary Foothills	14	(0)
2019–2020	Cavalry FC	37	(2)
2021–2022	York United	52	(2)
2021	→ Vasalunds IF (loan)	5	(0)
2023–	Korona Kielce	56	(1)
International career‡
2023–	Canada	3	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of November 9, 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of June 6, 2024

Dominick Lukasz Zator (born September 18, 1994) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Ekstraklasa club Korona Kielce and the Canada national team.

Club career

Early career

Zator played for five seasons with the University of Calgary from 2012 to 2016. ^[2] While at university, Zator also appeared for USL PDL side Calgary Foothills FC in 2015 and 2016, during which time the club progressed to the 2016 PDL Championship. ^[3]

Whitecaps FC 2

Zator signed his first professional contract with Whitecaps FC 2 of the United Soccer League on March 21, 2017. ^[4] Upon signing, Zator was described as "a modern day centre back with exceptional pace and athleticism" by Calgary Foothills coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. ^[5] In April 2017, Zator made his professional debut for Whitecaps FC 2 in a 3–0 win over Portland Timbers 2. ^[6] He would spend one season with Whitecaps FC 2 before the club ceased operations after the 2017 season. ^[7] Zator would not be signed to a USL deal with the Whitecaps new affiliate, Fresno FC. ^[8]

Calgary Foothills

Zator would return to Calgary Foothills for the 2018 PDL season. ^[9] He and the club won the PDL Championship that season, defeating Reading United in the final, with Zator scoring a goal in the game. ^[10]

Cavalry FC

Zator signed for Cavalry FC on December 12, 2018. ^[11] Zator played a key role for Cavalry as they won the spring season of the 2019 Canadian Premier League. Cavalry also found success in the Canadian Championship, defeating fellow Canadian Premier League sides Pacific FC and Forge FC in the first two rounds. Cavalry drew Vancouver Whitecaps FC of Major League Soccer in the third round and they battled to a 0–0 draw in Calgary in the first leg. In the second leg, in Vancouver, Zator scored the winning goal in a 2–1 victory, helping Cavalry become the first Canadian Premier League team to defeat an MLS team and booking a ticket to the semifinals against the Montreal Impact in the process. ^[12] Zator made 27 league appearances that season, scoring one goal, and also appeared in both legs of the Canadian Premier League Finals. ^[13]

After a standout season, and training stints with RCD Mallorca and Ross County in the offseason, Zator extended his contract with Cavalry through 2020 on November 28, 2019. ^{[14] [15]} He appeared in all ten matches of the shortened 2020 season for Cavalry, scoring one goal. ^[13] On January 26, 2021, the club announced that Zator had declined a contract extension in order to explore free agency. ^[16]

York United

Zator with York United in 2021

On February 1, 2021, Zator signed a two-year contract with York United. ^[17] The following day, he was sent on a short-term loan to newly promoted Swedish Superettan side Vasalunds IF. ^[18] On June 1 he was recalled from his loan, amassing five appearances during his time in Sweden. ^[19] Zator made his debut for York in their season opener against his former club Cavalry FC on June 27. ^[20] He scored his first goal for York on July 8, netting the game-winner in a 2–1 victory over Valour FC. ^[21]

Korona Kielce

In December 2022, Zator joined Ekstraklasa club Korona Kielce on a contract through June 2024. ^[22] He made his debut for his new club against Legia Warsaw on January 29, 2023. ^[23] Zator scored his first goal for Korona Kielce on April 15 against Jagiellonia Białystok. ^[24] In March 2024, Zator would sign a contract extension with Kielce, keeping with the club through June 2025. ^{[25] [26]}

International career

Born in Canada, Zator is of Polish descent. ^[27] In November 2019, Zator was named to Canada's 23-man squad for a CONCACAF Nations League match against the United States. ^[28]

In March 2023 Zator was re-called to Canada ahead of two CONCACAF Nations League fixtures against Honduras and Curaçao. ^[29] In June 2023 Zator was named to the final squad contesting the Nations League Finals. ^[30] He did not make an appearance in the Semi-final or Final as Canada finished runners-up to the United States. ^[31]

The day after the Nations League Finals on June 19, Zator was named to the 23-man squad for the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup. ^[32] He made his debut in the tournament opener against Guadeloupe on June 27, as a late substitute for Richie Laryea in a 2–2 draw. ^[33]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played November 9, 2024 ^[34]

Club	Season	League			Playoffs		National Cup		Continental		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Calgary Foothills FC	2015	PDL	10	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	10	0
	2016		12	1	5	1	0	0	0	0	17	2
	Total		22	1	5	1	0	0	0	0	27	2
Whitecaps FC 2	2017	USL	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	0
Calgary Foothills FC	2018	PDL	14	0	4	0	0	0	0	0	18	0
Cavalry FC	2019	CPL	27	1	2	0	8	0	0	0	37	1
	2020		10	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	10	1
	Total		37	2	2	0	8	0	0	0	47	2
York United	2021	CPL	24	1	1	0	2	0	0	0	27	1
	2022		28	1	0	0	3	0	0	0	31	1
	Total		52	2	1	0	5	0	0	0	58	2
Vasalunds IF (loan)	2021	Superettan	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
Korona Kielce	2022–23	Ekstraklasa	17	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	17	1
	2023–24		34	0	0	0	4	0	0	0	38	0
	2024–25		5	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	7	0
	Total		56	1	0	0	6	0	0	0	62	1
Career total			194	6	12	1	19	0	0	0	225	7

International

As of match played June 6, 2024

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Canada	2023	2	0
	2024	1	0
Total		3	0

Honours

Calgary Foothills

• PDL Championship: 2018

Cavalry FC

• Canadian Premier League (Regular season):
  • Champions: Spring 2019, Fall 2019
• Canadian Premier League Finals
  • Runners-up: 2019

References

1. "Toronto FC vs York United". Canadian Soccer Association . September 22, 2021.
2. "Dominick Zator - 2016 - Men's Soccer". godinos.com. University of Calgary Athletics.
3. "Dominick Zator - University of Calgary". uslpdl.com. USL PDL. Archived from the original on April 15, 2017. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
4. USLSoccer com Staff (21 March 2017). "PDL Standout Zator Joins WFC2". USL Championship.
5. "Scouting Report: Dominick Zator, a modern day centre back". whitecapsfc.com. Whitecaps FC 2. March 21, 2017.
6. Farhan Devji (April 8, 2017). "WFC2 put on a show in Langley, defeat Seattle 3–0 to earn first win of the season". whitecapsfc.com. Whitecaps FC 2.
7. Michael McColl (October 14, 2017). "California Dreaming: Goodbye WFC2, hello new beginnings – the ins and outs of the Whitecaps/Fresno partnership". aftn.ca. AFTN Canada.
8. "Whitecaps FC assign three players to USL affiliate Fresno FC". whitecapsfc.com. Vancouver Whitecaps FC. December 7, 2017.
9. "Dominick Zator profile". Calgary Foothills FC. April 16, 2018.
10. Gradon, Stuart (August 4, 2018). "Calgary Foothills FC win 2018 PDL championship".
11. "Cavalry FC sign four young local talents". calgaryherald.com. Calgary Herald. December 12, 2018.
12. "Cavalry defeats Whitecaps to advance to CanChamp Semi-Finals". canpl.ca. Canadian Premier League. July 25, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
13. "D. Zator". Soccerway. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
14. "Dominick Zator – Returning in 2020". canpl.ca. Canadian Premier League. November 28, 2019. Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
15. "CPL coaches forced to prioritize for off-season loans: 'More players than opportunities'". Canadian Premier League. September 28, 2020.
16. Marty Thompson (26 January 2021). "Dominick Zator, Jay Wheeldon highlight list of Cavalry FC departures". Canadian Premier League . Retrieved 26 January 2021.
17. Marty Thompson (1 February 2021). "Dominick Zator swaps Cavalry FC for York United on two-year deal". Canadian Premier League . Retrieved 1 February 2021.
18. Marty Thompson (2 February 2021). "York United's Dominick Zator loaned to Swedish side Vasalunds IF". Canadian Premier League . Retrieved 2 February 2021.
19. "ZATOR AND HAMILTON RETURN TO CLUB FOLLOWING RECENT LOAN SPELLS". June 1, 2021.
20. Jacques, John (June 27, 2021). "Familiar Issues Haunt York United In Loss To Cavalry". Northern Tribune.
21. Rhodes, Benedict (July 8, 2021). "HIGHLIGHTS: Dominick Zator header earns York United 2-1 victory over Valour". Canadian Premier League .
22. "Dominick Zator piłkarzem Korony Kielce!". December 14, 2022.
23. "Legia Warszawa 3 - 2 Korona Kielce - dziennnikpolski24.pl". January 29, 2023.
24. Palermo, Adam (April 18, 2023). "Canadian of the Week: Zator flips the script, Gilles launches Lyon win, David hits another milestone". Canadian Soccer Daily.
25. "Dominick Zator z nowym kontraktem!". Korona Kielce. March 27, 2024.
26. Jacques, John (March 27, 2024). "Zator Extends Polish Stay Through To 2025". Northern Tribune. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
27. "A Second Chance – How the CPL breathes new life into the pro careers of Cavalry FC players Dominick Zator and Chris Serban – AFTN".
28. "Canadian men's team sticks with familiar look for USA rematch". tsn.ca. Bell Media. November 8, 2019. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
29. "Dominick Zator z powołaniem do reprezentacji Kanady!". Korona Kielce . March 15, 2023.
30. Tierney, Mitchell (June 7, 2023). "Former CPLers Loturi, Zator called up by Canada for 2023 Concacaf Nations League Finals". Canadian Premier League .
31. Gangué-Ruzic, Alexandre. "ANALYSIS + HIGHLIGHTS: USMNT claim Kings of Concacaf crown as CanMNT fall flat". OneSoccer .
32. O'Connor-Clarke, Charlie (June 19, 2023). "CanMNT announces final 23-man squad for Concacaf Gold Cup". Canadian Premier League .
33. O'Connor-Clarke, Charlie (June 27, 2023). "MATCH ANALYSIS: Canada stunned by late equalizer in Gold Cup draw vs. Guadeloupe". Canadian Premier League .
34. "Dominick Zator profile". Soccerway.

External links

• Dominick Zator at the Canadian Soccer Association
• Dominick Zator at Soccerway