Steve Zakuani

Steve Zakuani (born 9 February 1988) is a Congolese former footballer. He was born in Zaire—now the Democratic Republic of the Congo—and grew up in London. After a successful college career, he played for the Seattle Sounders FC and the Portland Timbers.

Zakuani played for the Arsenal youth academy, but then struggled finding a team. He attended the University of Akron on a soccer scholarship, excelling as a forward. In 2009, Seattle selected Zakuani with the first overall pick in the MLS SuperDraft. He quickly became a fan favorite as a winger with the speed and ability to take on opposing defenders.

Success continued in 2010 with Zakuani scoring ten goals and debuting for the Congo DR national football team in a friendly. However, in 2011, he suffered an almost career-ending leg injury. He failed to recapture his early success upon returning in 2012, before retiring after playing the 2014 MLS season with the Portland Timbers. After his retirement from soccer, Zakuani helps young athletes through charity work, joined the Sounders' game-day broadcast team, and coaches at Bellevue High School.

Zakuani was born in Kinshasa, Zaire—now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. When he was four, his father, Mao Zakuani, moved his family to London, for both political and professional reasons, as a translator. The family switched homes often and lived with extended family for long periods. They eventually settled in a north London neighborhood with other African families, where Zakuani attended White Hart Lane School.

At the age of nine, Zakuani attracted interest from West Ham United's youth program. He later tried out for Queens Park Rangers's youth team, and joined the Arsenal Academy in 1997. Zakuani became cocky and brash while not focusing on schoolwork before being released. His off-the-field issues culminated in serious injuries when he was involved in a crash on a stolen moped. Zakuani was unable to play for 18 months. After losing interest in soccer and renewing his scholastic efforts, he watched motivational speaker, and evangelist, Myles Munroe with a teacher. This inspired Zakuani to renew his commitment to becoming a professional player and, although unsuccessful, he tried out for the senior teams of Queens Park Rangers, Wigan Athletic, AZ Alkmaar, and Real Valladolid.

Zakuani attended the University of Akron after he was noticed while playing at north London's Independent Football Academy. In his freshman season, he scored six goals with the Zips and received a professional offer from Preston North End. He was already committed to the university and declined the opportunity. In 2008, Zakuani scored 20 goals and 7 assists over 23 games to become a finalist for the Hermann Trophy; an award given yearly by the Missouri Athletic Club to the country's top college soccer player. He also became the second sophomore to be named Soccer America's men's collegiate player of the year. He played a portion of the 2008 USL Premier Development League season with the Cleveland Internationals, with whom he scored nine goals and made four assists in 11 matches.

Zakuani was selected by expansion side Seattle Sounders FC as the number-one pick in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft on a Generation Adidas program contract. He declined offers from two English clubs so he could sign with Major League Soccer; the deal allowed him to set money aside for future college tuition. He started 24 of 30 regular season games in 2009 and played in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final, when the Sounders became the second MLS team to win the tournament in their inaugural season. Zakuani provided a much-needed attacking presence from the wing; he was the third-best scorer with four goals throughout the regular season. The press considered him a candidate for Rookie of the Year because he had the highest number of goals and assists of all new players. The award eventually went to Omar Gonzalez. A local reporter praised him for improving his assistance to the defence and making better offensive runs as the season progressed. Although Zakuani was already known as a top young player, coach Sigi Schmid wanted him to improve his on-field decision making and increase his fitness before the next year.

In 2009, a shoulder injury that had limited Zakuani's ability to play the full 90 minutes per game forced him to undergo surgery during the off-season. In his second professional year, Zakuani scored ten goals, equalling the score of striker Fredy Montero for the team lead. He also made six assists. Zakuani was named MLS Player of the Week twice; the first was after recording both goals in a 2–1 win over Colorado, and the second was awarded for both a goal and an assist in a 2–1 victory over Chivas USA. Fans around the league voted the strike against Chivas as the Goal of the Week. Zakuani also won the award for his perfectly timed break past the defensive back line for a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper while scoring a goal against Toronto FC. He also recorded the fastest-scored goal in club history with a fourth-minute tally against Columbus Crew, beating the previous record he had set the season before. Zakuani was again in the starting line-up for the 2010 U.S. Open Cup final, which Seattle won to become the first team since 1983 to repeat as Open Cup champions. On 7 November 2010, he scored the Sounders' first ever playoff goal in a 2–1 loss to the Los Angeles Galaxy. He received his green card after the season; this helped the team because MLS limits the number of international players available to each team and receiving permanent resident status exempted him from the cap.