As the San Francisco Seals embark on a comeback of their own after a five-year hiatus from the Bay Area soccer scene, they will honor the King of the Comebacks on Sunday May 21st at Livermore High School with Troy Dayak Day as the San Francisco Seals take on the San Fernando Quakes.  Kickoff is scheduled for 2:00 pm.  To purchase tickets or for directions to the game, please visit the Seals website at:  www.oursfseals.com.

About Troy Dayak:
The prognosis was not good:  With a horrible neck injury leaving him on the brink of paralysis and doctors telling him that his playing days were over, Troy Dayak’s promising soccer career appeared to be cut short in the midst of its prime.  As part of his indomitable spirit, Troy refused to give up and worked profusely to get back out on the playing field.  After a year of intense rehabilitation, Troy’s perseverance appeared to be all for naught as he was waived by the San Jose Clash following the 1998 season.  For most athletes, this would have been the time to hang up the cleats and move on to the next phase of their lives; but Troy knew deep down that he still had some quality soccer left in him, all that was needed was the chance to prove it.

Enter the San Francisco Seals under the leadership of Dr. Tom Simpson.  The Seals were in their second season in the United Soccer League’s A-League, the top minor league in the country.  At a time when most other’s had given up on him, Simpson offered Dayak an opportunity to resuscitate his career in his native Bay Area.  In a recent interview Dayak said about his comeback with the Seals, “Tom was probably the only person who believed in me and that I had that ability to come back and prove people wrong.  It was a huge accomplishment, and Tom believed in me when all I needed was someone to believe in me.” (To listen to the interview visit: The Podcast Center - Troy Dayak)

There was never any doubt about Troy’s talent.  From his earliest days in the Tri-Valley youth leagues up through his time at Livermore High School, Dayak shined at every level; eventually playing his way on to the U.S. National Team squads for both the 1989 Junior World Cup in Saudi Arabia and the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.  With the Seals Troy showed that his playing days were far from over, landing a spot on the A-League All-Star team in 2000.  This led to Troy’s eventual signing with the San Jose Earthquakes prior to the 2001 season. 

The 2001 season turned out to be an unforgettable season as the Quakes lifted their first MLS Cup with Troy putting an exclamation point at the end of his long road to recovery by winning the MLS Comeback Player of the Year Award. 

Join the San Francisco Seals and Troy Dayak Sunday May 21st at Livermore High School.  Kickoff is scheduled for 2:00 pm.  To purchase tickets or for directions to the game, please visit the Seals website at:  www.oursfseals.com.        

Photo of Troy Dayak courtesy of Corey Nelson. 

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