Sean Keay: After a full preseason, and a couple games under your belt. Do you feel  like you are up to speed with the MLS game? What was the biggest transition from the College game to the Pro's other then the speed of the game?
 
Steve Zakuani: The biggest transition is the speed of play, and speed of thought. Everything happens a lot quicker, and at a much higher level. Like every new venture, it took me some time to adjust but I feel fine now, I'm enjoying it and still earning everyday, it's been great. The main things I've had to improve are off the ball things like tracking back and defending more, because I'm playing in midfield here, not up top like in college.
 
 SK: What's the best part about moving to Seattle? And what is the worst part about leaving Akron.
 
SZ: The best part about Seattle is that I'm living my dream. I always wanted to play professionally and now that it's happening, I'm loving it. The buzz around the city concerning the team is infectious, and judging by the season ticket sales, it's obvious that this city has an appreciation for soccer. The only things I miss about Akron are my friends. I made a lot of relationships there and it's not easy not seeing the guys everyday, but that's what life is about. I've gone through it before when I left London, so it's not really new to me.
 
SK: In the Seattle Camp, we haven't heard much about fellow rookie Evan Brown. Can you give us a bit of an update on how he is doing?
 
SZ: He's doing fine. He's training well everyday, and just like me, he is making the transition from college by learning and improving everyday. We have a very deep pool of defenders and so it's not easy to come in and start right away, but he has been playing well.

SK: What kind of relationship do you have with Freddy Ljungberg? It seems like he may have a lot of great advice to share with a young winger. 

SZ: Freddie's cool. We obviously connect on the London situation with me growing up there and him living there for ten years. And we also connect on the Arsenal thing. But away from that he's just a laid back guy and gives me a lot of good advice, and I ask questions because I'm always trying to learn from the best.

SK: You have played a few home games so far and the crowd was
loud, were you surprised on how the fans have responded to soccer in America? 

SZ: In a way yes, and in a way no. Yes, because soccer isn't the main sport here and although it is getting bigger and bigger, it doesn't compare to basketball or football. And no, because from the first day I arrived in Seattle I felt the support of the fans. Everyone was talking about how great it was for the city to have a team in MLS and so I knew they would come out in full force, and they've done just that.

SK: What is the thing that you feel you need to work on in your game to make it to that next level? 

SZ: Every area of my game has to keep improving. It takes time and hard work to get better, and also a lot of patience. I'm paying special attention to my off the ball positioning defensively because I'm having to do a lot of that which is helping me become more complete. But even my strengths need work because it's a different level and I'm new to it. I’m not expecting overnight results but a steady progression and I hope I never stop improving throughout my career, I can always get better.

SK: Other then yourself, who has the best chance from the draft to win MLS Rookie of the year?
 
SZ: I honestly don't know. I think it was a strong draft class, and already some of the players are getting major minutes which is good. But the truth is that we all went into different situations, some went to teams where they were needed right away and others went to teams where they are competing with experienced veterans. A lot of factors go into it, but I think there are some very good rookies out there, guys who were the leading players in college, and so it's going to be interesting.

SK: Thanks a lot Steve, good luck with your season.