PORTLAND, Ore. – Caleb Porter, perhaps more than any other person, knew just what was lost when Steve Zakuani announced his retirement Wednesday.
The Portland Timbers head coach lured a talented young Zakuani from London to the University of Akron, where he was then the head coach, in 2007. There he starred for the Zips for two years before becoming the consensus No. 1 pick of the Seattle Sounders in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft.
All along the way, Zakuani terrorized defenses, becoming one of the most dangerous attackers in North America. That is, until a devastating leg injury ultimately put an end to it all.
“It’s tough,” Porter told the media at Providence Park in his final press conference of the season, which will go down as Zakuani’s last as a professional after the Timbers nabbed him in the Re-Entry Draft following his five seasons in Seattle.
Porter said he sent the 26-year-old Zakuani a text message Wednesday morning, recalling him stepping off the plane in Akron, a “meek boy,” all those years ago.
“And I think about what he’s like now,” Porter said. “He’s a man basically 10 years later. … He lit it up in college, and he lit it up in his first five years as a pro, four years as a pro. And to see a player of his caliber have to retire in his prime, I think it’s just tough.”
After scoring four goals his rookie season and following that up with 10 and six assists his second year with Seattle, his career was changed forever in the second month of his third campaign when a rash tackle from Colorado Rapids veteran Brian Mullan broke his tibia and fibula and nearly led to the amputation of his right leg.
Multiple attempts at a comeback only led to more setbacks, and it was his inability to stay healthy consistently that ultimately led to his decision, Porter said.
“That was pretty obvious as time went on, for me, him, all of you; he just wasn’t the same player,” Porter said. “There were flashes of it where you thought he might be, but in the end as time goes on his body just couldn’t handle the training. And that was the key, if you want to be good in the game, you have to be good in training, you have to train hard. And he just couldn’t put in the work in training without breaking down.”
With the Timbers, Zakuani did enjoy his best season since the injury, logging nine starts and 17 appearances in league games, registering three assists. The native of Congo also scored Portland’s first ever CONCACAF Champions League goal in a 4-1 win Aug. 19 over Alpha United.
In late September, Porter announced that Zakuani had been shut down for the season following a groin strain.
“I think that was the other thing, you could tell as we started to think about shutting him down, that he was starting to think about other things,” Porter said. “When you know a player is mentally not there because physically they’re not there, you know it’s time.”
On Zakuani’s website, where he announced his retirement, it indicates he is writing a book. He also founded a charity, Kingdom Hope, in 2010 that conducts youth soccer camps.
“He’s going to move on into the next chapter and have a really bright future because he’s an intelligent young man,” Porter said. “He’s mature, he’s got charisma, he’s got conviction, and he’s going to do something, I’m not sure what, maybe president of Congo or something.”
Dan Itel covers the Timbers at MLSsoccer.com.
