D.C. United's Chris Korb started his comeback with flair on Saturday night, dishing an assist to his Richmond Kickers teammate just seven minutes into his first professional soccer match since August of 2015. Just as the ball seemed to be rolling out of play, Korb coralled it, used the flag for balance, skirted by an oncoming defender, pushed infield, and sent a low cross into the near post. Richmond's Fred Owusu Sekyere redirected the ball into the back of the net, and Korb officially picked up an assist less than seven minutes into his Richmond debut.
“I saw he hit it just a little long and it ended up staying in,” said Korb. “It was a little sticky, the grass, and I saw him diving a little bit. I put a dangerous ball in and Owusu finished it.”
Making his first professional appearance since August 13, 2015, in a match against New York City FC, Korb certainly looked to be on the right path after a serious knee injury had threatened to derail his career completely. After undergoing surgery for a torn ACL suffered against NYCFC, Korb had to go through two additional surgeries after complications provided major setbacks in his recovery. United announced the signing of the defender on May 4 following a successful trial.
On Saturday, Korb took his first step in the next chapter of his professional career. The United loanee completed 14-of-20 passes in the contest, won 4-of-5 duels, and was solid defensively matched up against FCC’s Columbus Crew SC loanee Cristian Martinez. Now, the road forward certainly appears to be a bright one.
“It was good," said Korb. "I’m just all smiles.”
