Is Jeremy Ebobisse hurt?

Before suffering a concussion that caused him to miss the final five games of the regular season, Jeremy Ebobisse was in the midst of a breakout season and was only three goals away from attempting a career mark in a shortened 2020 campaign.

Being mentally and physically fresh was the aim of a long 2020 offseason, but that was cut short by an invitation to a joint camp for the US men's national team and the U-23 squad in January before Olympic qualification.

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“I had to find a way to be as ready as possible and looking back in hindsight and even in that moment, I knew that I wasn’t ready, that I hadn’t gone through the processes that I needed to, to be in the right frame of mind to perform,” Ebobisse told Timbers FC television host Jake Zivin. “But ultimately its almost like that camp was kicking the cobwebs out of the concussion, of the post-concussive symptoms. Now it’s about really feeling myself again, feeling like I’m renewed.”

Ebobisse said he was able to find consistency in his play in the shortened 2020 season he wasn’t able to find previously as a professional. That’s his goal in 2021 as well, over the course of a regular 34-game regular season.

“Then we’re looking at a lot of goals, a lot of assists and helping the team in a really significant way with some of the dirty work as well, some of the stuff that I’m accustomed to doing for this team,” he said.

Eboboisse showed growth and strength after his injury

Ebobisse claimed that as a player who is still developing, both personally and professionally, his perspective has shifted from that of a young player seeking approval from his critics in high school and college.

“For me, the motivation comes with that competitive nature of coming from within and the people around me -- my family, my friends who want to see me push myself to get to the highest level, whether it’s being the best player in this league or being in Champions League on a daily basis or in a World Cup, whatever it might be,” Ebobisse said. “But it’s all about the people closest to me who have been there through everything, not the people who are going to come and go.”