Steve Zakuani Returns To Action 15 Months After Gruesome Injury, Embraces The Man Who Pulverized His Leg

Sounders winger Steve Zakuani wondered if he'd ever play soccer again in the months after a brutal sliding tackle from Colorado midfielder Brian Mullan in April 2011 snapped both lower bones in his right leg. ( Here's video of that incident, for those of you with strong and empty stomachs.) More than a year of rehab to get the almost-amputated foot working again might have bred an intense desire for revenge in Zakuani's heart, and we wouldn't blame him.

So it figures that Zakuani would return to the pitch in a match against the Rapids, which is exactly what happened Saturday night in a 2-1 Sounders victory. The score, though, is much less memorable than Zakuani's return to a roaring Seattle crowd chanting his name—and the oh-god-you-might-start-crying meeting between Zakuani and Mullan after the final whistle, in which the pair embrace, swap jerseys, and hug each other again. What can you add to this? It's a great moment, and we're lucky to have the chance to see it. [NBC Sports Net]