Seattle Sounders midfielder Steve Zakuani was diagnosed with a fractured tibia and fibula on Friday night after a reckless challenge by Brian Mullan in the third minute of the match. Zakuani immediately crumpled to the ground and screamed at the sight of his leg, which was clearly broken. It was a heartbreaking sight for Sounders’ fans and fans of soccer.
Zakuani now has a long road ahead, beginning with surgery scheduled to take place soon in Colorado. He’ll stay there for at least a couple days, likely with members of the Sounders medical staff, as he begins to recuperate. But for Zakuani and the Sounders, the task ahead is difficult.
Over at Sounder at Heart, Sidereal took a look at what the injury means for the Sounders and Zakuani. The first, and most important, concern is for Zakuani as a person and a player. This is the type of injury that could derail a promising career.
Priority 1 is helping Steve as a person. This is a serious blow to a promising career to which he’s dedicated his entire professional life. I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Steve, but even from afar you can tell he has a tremendous, generous personality and deserves nothing less than the outpouring of love and support he will receive
Next, the Sounders will have to go forward, likely for the rest of the season, without Zakuani. There’s no replacing him, his speed or his skill on the wing. For the Sounders, he’s a one-of-a-kind attacking threat and we’ve been spoiled by his presence.
Check out the rest of the post at Sounder at Heart. We’ll be back with more as it becomes available in this StoryStream.