Sounders' Treschuk busy paving a path for Hawaiians

A whirlwind of activity on the soccer pitch, Seattle Sounders rookie midfielder Kenji Treschuk is trying his best to get noticed.

Treschuk is hoping what he does nets other native Hawaiians some attention.

Playing physical with a noticeable edge, Treschuk, 24, performs as if there's something to prove.

"Just getting off the island to play is tough, and there's a lot of good soccer players there," said Treschuk. "That's kind of been my story. I'm not necessarily an underdog, but it's been hard to get noticed. Being from Hawaii, hopefully I'm paving the road for all the youth players coming up in Hawaii. It's a tough road."

In his first season as a professional, Treschuk is enjoying the Sounders' playoff ride.

Top-seeded Seattle (24-8-7) rolls into the United Soccer Leagues (USL) First Division semifinals with a two-match aggregate-goals series against the sixth-seeded Puerto Rico Islanders, starting today at 5 p.m. Pacific Time in Bayamon, Puerto Rico.

The second match is Sunday at the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila at 5 p.m., after about 10 hours of air travel each way for Seattle.

"The thing we noticed very early about Kenji was his nonstop work rate," Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer said of the Japanese-American player who became the club's enforcer midway through the season. "He had this desire to become a pro and help this team win. He was really motivated to make it."

Playing with a purpose, Treschuk is pursuing his dream of making it at the professional level, and he's making sure other Hawaiians have an easier road to the college programs and the pros.

"Being on the island, kids don't get that much exposure," said Treschuk, noting he sat out a year after graduating from Moanalula High School near Honolulu in 2000 awaiting, but not getting immediately, an offer from a top-25 college. "Everything I'm doing will help their future. It's not about myself. It's for a lot of kids."

Eventually, he was a four-year starter at Penn State, a top-25 program.

Treschuk became a starter 16 matches into the season and soon became the team's symbol of toughness.

"I'm not afraid of contact," said Treschuk, who has two assists this season but mainly has been a disruptive force defensively in the midfield in 37 appearances. "It's part of my game. I guess it's helped the team. I keep doing what they ask of me."