TUCSON, Arizona – Nearly a year later, Ben Zemanski still vividly remembers falling to the ground as his knee twisted awkwardly on the turf at Providence Park during a preseason game against the Vancouver Whitecaps. By the time he was stretchered off the field, it was already clear that he had torn his ACL.
It was the first major injury of Zemanski's career and it couldn't have come at a worse time.
Zemanski, who had been used almost exclusively as a substitute during his first two seasons with the Portland Timbers, had been set to move into a starting role in place of injured Will Johnson to begin the 2015 season.