Skip to content

Timbers midfielder Ben Zemanski returns to training after injury layoff

Reuters

Rehab. Assess. Recover. Improve. Repeat. It's the process Portland Timbers midfielder Ben Zemanski has endured for the better part of the last 12 months.

Zemanski had been sidelined with a torn ACL picked up during a preseason game against the Vancouver Whitecaps in 2015. But, after undergoing surgery last March, then a second operation later when a complication arose, Zemanski is finally back on the training field and ready to return.

"It was hard, but at the same time, it's just another battle in life and things like that happen," Zemanski said, as quoted by The Oregonian. "You have to just overcome it and get back to where you were and become better if you can ... I feel very fortunate to have recovered now and be back playing with the guys."

Timbers head coach Caleb Porter says Zemanski's return gives him more options in midfield, an area of the pitch where his team really thrives. So much so that much of the credit of Portland's MLS Cup-winning 2015 campaign came down to a tactical shift in midfield, with Darlington Nagbe, Diego Chara, and Diego Valeri playing in a three-man core with support out wide.

With Will Johnson now at Toronto FC, Porter will need Zemanski for depth, too.

"Ben gives us a lot of flexibility," Porter said. "He's a really well-rounded midfielder that can play deeper or higher. He has a lot of range and is a ball winner.

"Chara is a starting player and we have another two guys that are fighting it out to get time. I think that's going to be a real important thing for me to manage this year because I essentially have (three) starting holding midfielders."

The 2016 season presents one more chance for the 27-year-old to prove himself, but Zemanski is just thankful to be back on the pitch.

"It was a battle of trying to get better than I was last week and I just had that approach all year," he said. "I'm just grateful I'm here right now and playing again.

"It's just exciting and good to be back at this level."

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox