Ever-positive attitude key for Zayner

COLUMBUS -- Keep the faith. That's what Jed Zayner did during the depressing moments when injuries kept him from playing for the Columbus Crew.

After suffering a serious left knee injury in training the week following the 2006 opener as a rookie, Zayner had another setback the following year and managed just two first-team matches totaling 20 minutes in 2007. "This offseason I took time to pray and meditate to just be strengthened internally, spiritually, mentally and physically and come out and be a good pro every day and be tough and be strong and be consistent," he said.

The defender used the power of prayer, a strong support group of family and friends and the Crew's training staff to make a full recovery this season.

The nine minutes he had off the bench last week vs. FC Dallas upped his total to 199 minutes in five appearances, including two starts. He has also started six reserve matches.

"There's ACLs and there's ACLs," coach Sigi Schmid said. "He had a pretty bad ACL and it took him a little longer to recover. He didn't have the best recovery from it so it delayed everything.

"My theory has always been however long you've been out -- and he was out pretty much 12 months -- then it takes six months to recover. It takes half that time to get back in the rhythm. So by the time he got back in the rhythm that season (2007) ended."

"If you watch now, he's back to 100 percent and playing well," said Crew defender Danny O'Rourke, a teammate of Zayner's for two NCAA championships at Indiana. "He's a tough guy. He pushed through. Jed's a talented defender. He's good with his feet. He's a good one-on-one defender."

Zayner made his first MLS start June 7 vs. San Jose and was also in the first XI Aug. 2 at Houston. He also had starts in two U.S. Open Cup qualifiers and friendlies against Independiente and West Ham United.

"He's helpful because he can play a number of different positions," Schmid said. "Actually, his left foot is pretty decent and he's been able to play outside back for us and in the middle. It's a matter of, with all young players, consistency day in and day out."

This season has been rewarding for Zayner because he admits to being apprehensive about staging a comeback.

"There's ton of doubts, tons and tons," he said. "It was tough coming back. Not only did I come back from my knee tear I also tore something else at the beginning of the year (2007) so I was coming back halfway through the season. I struggled into that with the speed of play and mentally trying to be strong."

The breakthrough came prior to this season.

"This past preseason was the defining moment. I felt like I was back to full fitness. I was one of the fittest guys on the team," he said. "It was a good feeling being able to go in strong and tackle guys really hard and be really, really aggressive without thinking about it.

"That was my main goal, to make the coach's job tough and come out and give it my all -- do everything I could and hope and pray for the best."

Zayner adds quickness to the team and is becoming better at distributing the ball under pressure.

"He's taken advantage of the chances he got and he's done well. He provides us with some pace in the back and is a guy willing to work hard," midfielder Brian Carroll said.P If you ask O'Rourke, he'll tell you that's a typical trait of the Indiana players. Of course, he's got the numbers now to back him. With the addition of midfielder Pat Noonan two weeks ago and former Chicago Fire defender Brian Plotkin training with the team, there are four Hoosiers in Columbus to continue the IU-Crew pipeline.

"It's so fun. We always joke around about it in practice with other guys, 'How many rings have you got? How many national championships?' " Zayner said.

Signing Plotkin to a developmental contract would give the Crew 10 former Indiana players in its history, one more than UCLA has provided.

Among the Hoosiers are Mike Clark, Todd Yeagley, Brandon Ward and Brian Maisonneuve from the inaugural Crew season in 1996, as well as Juergen Sommer and Ned Grabavoy.

"It's a nice little feeding system," said Zayner. "There's a huge connection. There were a couple of years when Mais was the only one and then he retired. Then we got Danny, myself and Ned and now Noonan and Plot."

Added O'Rourke, with just a touch of IU arrogance: "We should bring in the whole (Indiana) team, even recruits."