Tom Bogert Contributor MLSSoccer
“Soccer is not as straight forward as you think it is growing up,” Zelalem told MLSsoccer.com in a wide-ranging interview in July. “There are a lot of ups and down, there are injuries. I’ve learned a lot.”
The then-Arsenal youth product, already dubbed the next Cesc Fabregas, would eventually miss a year-and-a-half, thwarting his progress through the Gunners’ ranks and costing himself nearly two years of development.
“It killed me,” US U-20 head coach Tab Ramos said. “The last thing I want on the U-20 national team is someone to leave hurt. I always have the hopes of the players coming in, doing great then having a better career. … I think he would have worked at Arsenal if not for that injury.”
Now, Zelalem is still working towards regaining full fitness and confidence at Sporting Kansas City. It’s been a long road, one with many more twists and turns to come.
Two years later, he was one of the most hyped players in South Korea, with a number of German clubs interested in signing him from Arsenal. Such a move would pave the way for the vital next step in his career.
Instead, his tournament was over almost as soon as it began.
Zelalem went down in the first half of the United States’ first game with an ACL tear.
“It was tough. I really envisioned that tournament—“ Zelalem paused. “I was part of the team that got to the quarterfinals. To not be able to do that, it was hard mentally. The injury itself was a bit of a disaster with how the rehab went and stuff. But, I got over it.”
American teammate Brooks Lennon, who as a Liverpool academy player frequently faced Zelalem in the youth Premier League, recalled the impact Zelalem’s injury had on the team.
“I just remember him going down, I knew it wasn’t good,” he said. “He was in a lot of pain, I was worried about him. It was our first game and we were devastated to lose him.”
The ACL tear was just the beginning for Zelalem. The recovery and rehab didn’t go smooth. Six months after the initial injury, as he began to run and get closer to returning to training, things still didn’t feel right. So, he went and saw a specialist. That specialist told him he’d need another surgery which would keep him out even longer.
What he thought was light at the end of the tunnel was just a cruel mirage, it was back to square one.
“I was obviously bummed out,” Zelalem said. “But in a way, I was kind of happy because I knew something was wrong with me, but we didn’t know what it was.” Read More