ST. LOUIS -- For Steve Zakuani, it wasn't so much a case of if he was going to get selected, but when and by which team. Going No. 1 overall in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft at the St. Louis Convention Center Thursday to the expansion Seattle Sounders FC was the perfect scenario for the Generation adidas forward out of the University of Akron.
"I was hoping it would be Seattle, but I wasn't sure if they'd trade the pick or what they were going to do," Zakuani said. "When I heard my name called it was a relief and a dream come true."
And it was a huge relief after a sleepless night in St. Louis.
"I knew I'd get picked, but just not knowing where I was going to go was probably the most anxious, nerve-racking part," he said.
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Seattle was attractive not only because of the weather ("I heard the weather is like London so I'm excited," he said), but also because Zakuani wanted to be part of something from the beginning. It's why he turned down an offer to play in England with Preston North End.
And in Major League Soccer, it doesn't get any newer than Seattle Sounders FC.
"The more I thought about it and saw the way the league is rising, I just wanted to be a part of it," Zakuani said. "I came from England so I know that system a bit better, so I just want to try and new adventure and see what I can do in MLS."
Zakuani likes being part of history as the first player ever picked by the Sounders. He also knows there's inherent pressure that comes with that, but he's ready to tackle that.
"Going first, 10th, last, you've still got to go to preseason camp and prove you can play," he said. "But to go down in history as the first pick of Seattle is incredible and I'll never forget this."
Zakuani grew up a Manchester United fan, but that changed when he joined the Arsenal FC youth team in 1997. He spent six years in the famed London side's system and he is excited to reunite with a legendary Gunner.
"I actually met Freddie Ljungberg a few times," he said of Seattle's Designated Player. "I don't think he'll remember me, but I met him and I'm excited to play with him, too."
In just two years in the United States, Zakuani has made quite an impression. He led the nation in goals and points this season and was a M.A.C. Hermann Trophy finalist. Zakuani has the speed and ability on the ball to compete right away in MLS.
"The only risk is that it's going to take him that little bit of time, but the way he runs at people with the ball, as smooth as he is, he loves to play on the left-side hand of the field, he has that cutback move he likes to do and he scores goals," Seattle FC coach Sigi Schmid said. "He was the one player we thought had the ability to be special."
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