Posted by

Steve Bottjer ,

January 20, 2014 Email Steve Bottjer Twitter @BottjerRNO

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Nana Attakora

Toronto native Nana Attakora is a 24 year old defender who has played in the MLS with Toronto FC and the San Jose Earthquakes and in Finland with FC Haka. He was recently acquired by MLS side D.C. United via 2013 MLS Re-Entry Draft and is currently preparing for his first season with the Black-and-Red.



At the International level, Attakora has represented Canada at U-16, U-17, U-19, U-20, U-23 and at the senior national team level. He was named the Canadian U-20 Player of the year in 2008 and 2009 and made his first senior national team appearance in 2010 in a friendly match against Jamaica. Since then, he has gone on to represent his country a total of seven times.



RedNation recently had the chance to catch up with Attakora to discuss his move to DC United and his thoughts on the current state of the Canadian Men’s National Team.



RedNation Online (RNO): Nana, obviously the big recent news with you is your move to DC United. Were you excited when you learned you would be moving to a club that has so much history and has always been an important team in the league?



Nana Attakora: Yes, I was very excited. To be fair, I found out about the move before the Entry Draft happened. I was notified by my agent that there was a chance that I would be going there and I was prepared for it. The situation is good for me because they are rebuilding and, because I had a concussion last year, it was just a good place to go to get a fresh start.



RNO: With a team that is rebuilding like DC is, how valuable is your experience because you have a lot of playing experience in the league even though you are probably still younger than most people think?



Nana Attakora: It’s good. I spoke with the coach and general manager and they told me about their direction and what they want to do. Don’t get me wrong, they have brought in a lot of experienced players, but it will be an easier transition with the experience that I have. It will be good to be part of getting DC back to where they should be.



RNO: What has DC United Head Coach Ben Olsen told you about your role?



Nana Attakora: I spoke with him briefly and one thing he did tell me was that there would be a lot of competition and that he expects me to come in and battle right away. Nothing ever comes easy in the MLS, especially when a team is rebuilding. But I am excited and fit and ready to go.



RNO: Are you fully recovered from the concussion? It has seemed like you have had a bit of a bad run with injuries in recent years.



Nana Attakora: To be fair, I was recovered from the concussion in the beginning of October. With last season almost being over, they didn’t want to take any chances and we just decided to start over in the New Year. I have been fully recovered for several months and there aren’t any more problems.



RNO: Your move to DC might present the opportunity to pair up in central defense with Bobby Boswell, who has long been considered one of the best CBs in the league. I’m sure you’ve play against him in the past. Are you looking forward to playing on the same team with him?



Nana Attakora: Bobby Boswell has always been on teams who have competed for championships, so I thought it was a great move for DC United to bring him in. It is also a great move for me personally because I play the same position. He has that experience that comes with winning trophies and that is something I haven’t had in MLS. So to be around someone who has that experience is going to be so valuable for me going forward.



RNO: You’ve been moving around a bit over the last several years and I’m assuming the suitcase has not been packed away in the back of a closet for very long. Are you hoping to settle in DC for a while?



Nana Attakora: I am looking to do that and I’m hoping to make a home there. However, it is football and you never know what will happen in football. All I can do is work as hard as I can and take it one day at a time.



RNO: I know you are close friends with Dwayne De Rosario. Is it a little bit bittersweet that Dwayne left DC just before you arrived?



Nana Attakora: Yes, it is. It is funny because Dwayne was someone I was talking to when I heard about the possibility that I could be going to DC. So when I found out that he left and I was going there, it just highlighted one more time that you never know what is going to happen in football. Dwayne did tell me a lot of good things about DC, in terms of both football and things outside of football. He is still someone that I will speak to while I’m in DC. He’s always been someone who I can call if I need help.



RNO: You were a fan favourite during your time in Toronto and all the supporters certainly still think of you very highly. Do you still keep an eye on developments with TFC and what do you make of the last couple of weeks with all of Toronto’s big name acquisitions?



Nana Attakora: I’m so happy to see everything that has happened. I love the city and I loved playing in Toronto. During the time when I was playing there, everyone knows there was a whole lot going on with management and stuff like that. It is good to see that the club has finally found stability and that they have the direction in which they want to go. I talk to Doneil (Henry) all the time and it is great to hear about how serious they are about winning championships. I hope they do really well in Toronto. I want every sports team in Toronto to do really well. In addition to the new big signings, it is also great to see what is happening with the development of some of the younger players.



RNO: Another player move away from DC United that was bittersweet for me was fellow Canadian International Dejan Jakovic’s move to Japanese club Shimizu S-Pulse. I had been looking forward to the possibility of you and Dejan playing together and developing a partnership at the club level. Was he someone that you were looking forward to playing with or did you know that he would be leaving for Japan prior to everything being finalized with your move to DC United?



Nana Attakora: I did not find out that he would be leaving DC until after I learned that I would be joining the club and I did look forward to playing with him. I played with him last year at a national team camp and we got to play together against the United States. I thought we did quite well against Eddie Johnson and Chris Wondolowski, two of the better strikers in MLS. It would have been fun to play with Dejan, but obviously he has moved on to a really good opportunity and I wish him nothing but the best.



RNO: Prior to coming back to MLS you had a couple of stints in Europe. What did you take away from your time in Europe?



Nana Attakora: That was interesting. There was a deal on the table in Germany that I probably should have taken. It was just at the time it did not make a lot of sense because we had Olympic qualifying coming up and the way the contract was set up wasn’t going to work for me or the club. So I moved away from that. But going to Finland was something that was just good for me mentally. 2011 had been a tough year for me, not just on the field, but off the field as well. So being able to go to a club and focus solely on soccer was so good for me and it really helped me to get myself back on track mentally. It was probably one of the better experiences I have had and I wouldn’t trade it for anything because it helped me to get to where I am today.



RNO: How is this current national team camp going for you and how are things going under Benito Floro?



Nana Attakora: I’m loving it. This is my second camp under him and I have learned so much already. This camp has been really good because we have a lot of young players who are so good. It is not normal how good these kids are. We played a game with the young players against the older players and they were beating us 2-1 at one point. They were actually killing us at one point in the match. They are good young players who still have a lot to learn, but I think the future for Canada is looking really good with some of these players coming up.