After Wednesday's match against Atlanta United FC, Chris Korb earned his 101st career start. The number is significant; only four other defenders have reached the milestone in the Black-and-Red's history.
The University of Akron product was drafted by United in 2011 and has been a reliable defender for the Black-and-Red throughout his career. But his career hasn’t been without setbacks. In August 2015, Korb suffered a season ending ACL tear in a 1-3 loss to New York City FC and also missed the 2016 season due to additional surgery.
“It’s been a long, hard road for Chris to get back to this point,” Dave Kasper, United’s general manager and VP of soccer operations, said. “We are thrilled for him and very happy to have him back available to help the team. His determination to return to the field is a testament of his strong character.”
“There were plenty of down moments where [my knee] wasn’t ready when I thought it was,” Korb said. “But I just kept going and it’s great to get my feet wet again and get back into it.”
Korb is now in solid company: only Bobby Boswell, Jeff Agoos, Eddie Pope and Brandon Prideaux have reached triple digits for United.
In addition to reaching the impressive career stat, the 29-year-old also contributed to the game-winning goal against Atlanta; his early cross found Patrick Nyarko in the second half, giving United the lead and the eventual victory.
