April 22 will always be a defining date when I look back on my life in the years to come because it’s the day that I experienced what all footballers fear – a broken leg. In my head I’ve replayed that fateful moment a few times but I’ve only seen footage of the tackle that led to the injury twice. The first time was voluntarily on my mobile phone but at the moment of impact I looked away so that doesn’t really count. And the second time was while I was laying on my hospital bed in Seattle watching the LA Galaxy vs New York game from a weeks back. During the half time show, they quickly showed a clip of it that completely caught me off guard. In short, April 22 is a date that I want to forget.

However, several things that have taken place since that day are things that I would like to remember for the rest of my life because they have shown me that no matter how tough life gets, if you have a great support system around you, you can get through anything.

When I woke up the day after my surgery, I saw that Sigi was in my room along with both of our trainers, Randy and Chris. Actually, Chris was the one who rode with me in the ambulance when I was driven away from the pitch in Colorado and he waited with me until I went in for my surgery. I exchanged a few words with them all but the truth is I was so exhausted that I could only mutter a few sentences every few minutes. After they left, our General Manager, Adrian Hanauer, paid me a visit and once again, I couldn’t speak much but sometimes in those situations, words are not needed. He told me that the club had already organized for my parents to be flown to Denver the next day. Adrian, along with Gary Wright (our senior VP of Business of Operations) have been great and have told me that the club will do all it can to meet any needs I may have going forward.

I spent the first few days after surgery in Denver with my parents, my good friend Pablo who flew in from Cleveland to be with me, and our head trainer, Randy. The nurses and doctors were exceptional and no thing was too big or too small for them to take care of. I’m a naturally upbeat person and so even though I was in bad physical condition in that hospital, emotionally I was my usual self and so I was playing pranks and little jokes on Randy (I always do this) and engaging in good conversation with everyone present. When the time came to leave Denver and come back to Seattle, the Sounders organization once again showed me why they were voted the best sports organization in 2009. Knowing that I was a week or two away from being able to fly commercially, our GM chartered a flight back to Seattle for my mum, Randy, and myself. It was a first class move and it meant a lot to me.
Once I returned to Seattle, I was feeling a little better and a little stronger. I was able to check my emails properly for the first time, and I was also able to sit up for long stretches without feeling lightheaded. As I’ve said, the amount of love I have received from fans has been tremendous and I really cherish that. I also equally cherish the advice that I’ve received from respected figures inside the sport. One of the people I always look to for advice concerning football issues is my former teammate and friend, Pete Vagenas. Pete is someone I respect a lot and we’ve been talking almost everyday since the injury, just like we did before, but now instead of just poking fun at each others careers and talents, he’s been giving me advice and has made himself available for my many questions. Alexi Lalas sent me a few text messages, and I also got some kind words and good advice in a couple of email exchanges with David Beckham.

I can’t lie and say that everything has been nice and rosy in my recovery so far, in fact, the opposite is true. It’s been hard to see the pain my parents are feeling, and it has also been difficult having to hobble around on crutches. At times I’ve experienced levels of pain in my leg and foot that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy, but the most difficult thing has been not being able drive into training everyday like I’m used to and playing the game I love on a daily basis. In saying that, I’d like to think that the toughest times are behind me now because as things stand I am well on the way to recovery. I’m extremely determined to return to the pitch and regain the level that I had so I’m doing rehab with my physical therapists every morning of the week and on three afternoons as well. At this point, I am able to maneuver around my apartment without my crutches, and when I am out in the streets I only need one crutch. My doctors told me I could put weight on the leg that was injured so I’ve taken them at their word. There is no specific time line set for my return because I’ve asked the doctors not to give me one. My plan is to work my socks off in my physical therapy sessions, and then once I am able to start jogging in a few weeks I will work just as hard until I am able to play with the ball. Once I can play with the ball, I will work hard until I can start sprinting and once I can do that, I will work hard in that final phase until I’m ready to play – whenever that is.

My teammates have also been great in this. Many of them sent text messages wishing me a speedy recovery, and I’ve spoken regularly to a few of them in these last few weeks. I’ve been getting lots of texts from Sigi as well, which means a lot to me because when you are injured, you can easily feel detached and forgotten sometimes. As I’ve said before, I plan to make a full recovery and view this incident as a minor setback in what will be a long career. If anything, it has strengthened my faith in God, and renewed my desire to maximize my ability over these next few years.