Toronto FC’s 1-1 draw on Saturday against the San Jose Earthquakes wasn’t only notable for the fact that it marked another home draw for a side that has struggled to find victories this season, it also marked the return to BMO Field of an original TFC member and a local player who was a fan favourite during pretty much his entire four plus years with the Reds. And while he didn’t see the pitch on Saturday, Canadian International Nana Attakora did indicate after the match that being in the visitor’s dressing room was a strange feeling for the Toronto native.
“Yeah, it was the weirdest feeling ever. I didn't want to let myself feel like that, but you can't help it. You see the fans and it's just like - Wow, I used to be on the home team here. It was tough,” said Attakora.
2011 has been a trying and challenging year for the talented and personable 22 year old central defender. While Attakora was a core player for Toronto FC in recent seasons, he struggled with injuries and earning playing time under new TFC Head Coach Aron Winter, as well as rumours around difficult discussions between him and Toronto on the topic of a contract extension.
To top things off, the athletic defender woke up on July 14th to find that he had been traded from the only club he had ever played for to the San Jose Earthquakes. When asked if the topsy-turvy year that he has endured has thrown him for a loop, Attakora was quick to state that he is staying positive and believes that there are positives that a person can take from every challenge that is sent their way.
“I am so grateful for the way that this year has gone for me, because you have to learn how to deal with many different situations that will be thrown at you. It hasn't been the greatest year for me, but it is going to help me mature and improve for my future.”
Outside of the trade, Attakora has struggled with injuries this season, but he was quick to indicate that fitness concerns have not weighed on him mentally and that they are all part and parcel of being a professional athlete. Fortunately, the left calf strain that followed an earlier quad injury is close to being 100% healed and Attakora is looking forward to playing out the remainder of the MLS season at full fitness.
“(My left calf injury is) better now. All last week I was struggling with it, but I had to be fit. It was one of those things where it wasn't going to go away, so this week I just sucked it up and I got into the "A" team today. This (calf) injury came from pushing myself too hard when I was coming back from my quad injury. You feel your body breaking down, but I also knew I wasn't fit and, in trying to get fit, I did extra work. And with your calf, you are pushing off it a lot, so that's how that came about.”
With Attakora out of contract at the end of the 2011 Major League Soccer season, the usual questions around where he will play next have started to be asked, with the centre back quickly responding to those types of questions by stating that he is taking things one game at a time and that he will deal with future once the season has concluded.
“I'm not going to look into that until the end of the season. At my age I have different options, so I don't want to think about that until after the last game of the season.“
While Attakora is not yet willing to speculate as to where he wants to ply his trade next year, he did admit that the trade away from his hometown of Toronto has very much delineated that he has entered the next stage of his professional playing career.
“I was telling my family that the other day. You never think of leaving your home city and you never want to. It's probably one of the toughest situations I'll ever face. In my first week in San Jose, it was probably the toughest week of my life - being away from home, a new team, new players. And when I found that I could overcome that, then I learned I could overcome anything. It's definitely going to help me in my future.”
Even with the move to San Jose being a genuinely jolt to his system, Attakora was quick to highlight former Toronto FC midfielder Sam Cronin and the Earthquakes Canadian Head Coach, Frank Yallop, as two people who have eased his transition to the West Coast.
“Sam actually called me before the trade happened. Just knowing that he was there to help me to ease into things was great, as it would have been harder going there not knowing anyone. Sam showed me around and just made me feel comfortable, so it was good having him there. Frank’s a very laid back guy and he get's the best out of his guys. Aron (Winter) was like that as well, but he is different than what I was used to here in Toronto. Yallop is a great guy and I'm enjoying playing for him so far.”
With his long-term future positive and wide open, Attakora is taking the immediate day by day and is focused on continuing to learn as a young central defender, while at the same time working hard to stay fit and focused on earning playing time on a new team.
“I'm just trying to learn. They have Jason Hernandez and Bobby Burling here and both are great centre backs. So it's not going to be situation where I just come in and start playing right away. I have to earn it. But everybody has been great here. I have had some injuries, but I need to stay positive and I just need to keep working so I can hopefully get myself into the team.”
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