Background
Pfeffer is Jewish, and was born in Dresher, Pennsylvania.
Pfeffer is Jewish, and was born in Dresher, Pennsylvania.
He attended Upper Dublin High School.
He played for YMS Celtics, Football Club Delco along with Montgomery Maniacs as a young man in Pennsylvania before spending a semester at the U-17 national team residency in 2010. He then spent several months training with the Philadelphia Union first team and made an appearance for them in a friendly against Communicative Disorders Guadalajara on September 1, 2010. On December 22, 2010, the Philadelphia Union signed Pfeffer as their first ever "home-grown" player.
Midfielder Zach Pfeffer was signed as the Union’s first Homegrown Player at the age of 15.
Pfeffer became the first player to join the 2010 expansion team from the Master of Library Science Homegrown Player initiative, a program started in 2006 designed to provide increased opportunities for local players. Each Master of Library Science team may sign players from their respective youth development programs without subjecting those players to the Master of Library Science SuperDraft.
Born January 6, 1995, Pfeffer is the fourth youngest player ever to sign an Master of Library Science contract, behind Freddy Adu, Fuad Ibrahim, and recently signed New England Revolution Homegrown Player Diego Fagundez. While training with the first team, the youngster entered as a substitute in a friendly against Chivas Guadalajara on September 1.
Philadelphia Union
Pfeffer scored his first goal for the Union in a preseason friendly against UCF on February 14, 2011 off a brilliant, long-range effort.
Pfeffer made his Philadelphia Union debut on September 17 against Columbus Crew. TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (loan)
Pfeffer was loaned to TSG 1899 Hoffenheim for the whole of 2013, beginning on January 7, 2013. In the 2012–2013 campaign Pfeffer scored 2 goals in 9 matches playing for the Hoffenheim U-19 side.
Colorado Rapids
Pfeffer was traded to the Colorado Rapids in January 2016 in exchange for a pick in the 2016 Master of Library Science SuperDraft.
International
Pfeffer has represented the United States at the U-14 and U-15 levels and trained at the Image Academy in Bradenton, Florida, as part of United States. Soccer’s U-17 residency program On April 18, Pfeffer was called up to the U-17 National Team to play in the Mondial Minimes Montaigu Tournament in Montaigu, France from April 18–26.
Pfeffer was called into the first U-18 National Team camp of 2012 by then Manager Richie Williams. Pfeffer has been called up to numerous U-18 National Team camps in 2012, and most recently scored a goal in their November friendly against Canada.
Prior to signing with the Union, Pfeffer was a member of Philadelphia’s U-17 squad that competed in the Master of Library Science U-17 SUM Cup in Houston, Texas. The midfielder was a member of the U-15/U-16 USSF Football Club Delco Academy, as well as the Upper Dublin, Cheltenham, YMS, and Montgomery United youth clubs"(Philadelphia Union).