The University of Akron Athletics
Zakuani Goes No. 1 to Seattle in 2009 MLS Super Draft
January 15 | Men's Soccer
AKRON, Ohio – Steve
Zakuani, who helped guide the University of Akron men's soccer
program to a record-setting campaign in 2008, was the first overall
pick of the 2009 Major League Soccer Super Draft Thursday held at
the St. Louis Convention Center in St. Louis, Mo.
Confirming numerous mock drafts leading up to event, the expansion
Seattle Sounders tabbed Zakuani with the franchise's first ever
pick.
"It was a big relief because of the tension in the air," Zakuani
said. "I was sitting with all the other players who were invited to
the draft and no one knew where they were going to end up. But once
I heard (MLS Commissioner Don Garber) say ‘...from the
University of Akron,' it was a tremendous relief and an incredible
feeling."
The 2008 Hermann Trophy runner up is the third player in school
history to be taken in the MLS draft, joining Sinisa Ubiparipovic
in 2007 (New York Red Bulls, third round) and Cameron Knowles in
2005 (Real Salt Lake, fourth round).
"I had a great experience at Akron and am leaving a lot of great
teammates, coaches and friends," Zakuani said. "When I came to
Akron, the coaches told me that they would prepare me to play at
the next level and they were right. They allowed for my dream to
come true. I'm excited for the future of Akron soccer because I
know that there will be many more great players to come through
there for years to come."
Since announcing his intentions to turn pro early last week,
Zakuani had been projected as the No. 1 overall pick by a number of
publications, including MLSDraft.net and
SoccerByIves.net. He is the first UA underclassman to
leave school early to pursue a professional career in any
sport.
"Up until the last second I had no idea," Zakuani told soccer
analyst Allen Hopkins on the live television broadcast on ESPN2
regarding speculation as to where he would be drafted. "It's a
great honor and I'm so excited. I'm ready. I am going to train hard
to play at the next level and hopefully contribute right away."
The choice was praised by ESPN soccer analysts John Harkes and
Alexi Lalas.
"This is not a surprise," Lalas said. "... (Zakuani) is incredibly
quick. Still, you are going to have to give him some time to
adjust. You don't just come into the MLS and score a lot of goals
as a forward. I think it's a good, solid pick."
Soccer analyst Ives Galarcep, of espnsoccer.net and
soccerbyives.net said: "Zakuani is a speedy striker who has quality
touch on the ball and an extra gear that makes him very
dangerous."
Zakuani, 6-foot and 160-pounds, is 20-years-old and was born in the
Republic of Congo . He moved to London, England at age four and was
raised there. He was a member of the Arsenal Youth Team in England
and will turn 21 on Feb. 9
"This is a dream come true for Steve," said UA head coach Caleb Porter. "He has been waiting for this
moment for his entire life and I couldn't be happier for him. It
has been an incredible journey for him to reach this point –
through trials and tribulations, injuries and disappointments. For
him to go from the Congo to London to Akron and now the No. 1 pick
in the draft; it's truly an amazing story and that is what makes
this even more special."
"I'm also excited that he will be in Seattle and play for (Sounders
head coach) Sigi Schmid," Porter added. "I know he values Steve's
qualities as a player and will help cultivate his game further. He
was able to see Steve showcase his talent firsthand in several
games this past fall and I believe that played a major role in his
decision to select him with the first pick."
Schmid, the recipient of the 2008 MLS Coach of the Year award, led
the Columbus Crew to the MLS Cup last fall before becoming the
Sounders' first coach this winter.
Zakuani was a National Soccer Coaches Association of America
(NSCAA) First Team All-American in 2008 and earned national player
of the year honors from Soccer America and Top Drawer
Soccer after leading the country in goals (20) and points
(47). Zakuani was also named Mid-American Conference Player of the
Year last season and set the league standard by garnering player of
the week honors six times.
There wasn't a more dangerous scoring threat in the nation in 2008
than Zakuani, who recorded at least one point in 14 of 23 games,
including seven game-winning goals. The striker also recorded the
first two hat tricks of his career last fall that was part of an
incredible stretch that saw him score 12 goals while posting three
assists in eight games.
As a team, the Zips (17-2-4) enjoyed a banner season in 2008. Akron
secured the highest NCAA Tournament seed in program history with a
No. 5 designation, concluded the best four-year run in UA history
with a record of 63-12-11 (.797) from 2005-'08 and qualified for
the NCAA Tournament for the 23rd time in program history.
UA also advanced to the Sweet 16 for the fourth time in school
history and continued its dominance of the MAC with its sixth
league tournament title.
"I'm going to miss the fans at Akron and playing for the AK
Rowdies," Zakuani said. "They supported me no matter what happened
on the field. Even after I had a bad game, when I was walking on
campus they would say something to pick me up. And during the
games, they were loud and always gave us a boost.
"I can't wait to play at Columbus and hopefully see some of them
again. I will miss them a lot but at the same time the time was
right for me to move on."
