ZAT Knight has been fighting fires for as long as he can remember, so it is little surprise to see him embark upon another recovery mission in the US.

Relegation from the Premier League with Wanderers and a two-year spell in the Championship with few highs have steeled the big defender for the sort of challenge he now faces at struggling Colorado Rapids, a club currently in the midst of a record seven-game losing streak.

News of the defender’s signing has been well-received in the Centennial State, whose sole franchise has slumped to seventh place in the Western Conference after a disappointing run.

Knight, pictured, arrives to shore up a young squad but has no plans beyond the end of the season, which could be just seven games away.

“I’m just here until the end of the season at the moment,” Knight told the Denver Post. “Hopefully, I can put in some good performances and they can pick me up and we can see where things go from there.

“For the back end of the season, my personal goal is just to try and play as many games as possible and leave the team in a better position than they are now. It would be nice to get into a play-off position. I’m trying to take one step at a time first.”

Knight had brushed off talk of a move to MLS upon his release at Wanderers in the summer but struggled to find offers in England to his liking.

He was linked with League One Barnsley at one point but on the recommendation of Stuart Holden, and other US stars he has played alongside such as Brad Guzan and Clint Dempsey, he decided to take the Rapids up on their offer to stabalise their campaign.

“I heard a lot about MLS,” he added. “I’ve got a few friends that are in the league, and played with a few boys in England that are from America.

“They say it’s a lot different, travel-wise and you’re always playing, playing, playing. It’s a new adventure for myself, I’ve never played abroad so I’m looking forward to a different style of football.

“It’s a tough time (for the Rapids), but the only way to get out of this is to keep on working and keep believing in each other,” Knight said. “So hopefully we can keep the morale up in the seven games we’ve got left.”

Knight is unlikely to receive his work visa in time to face Portland Timbers on Saturday but has now linked up with the squad for training.

“I haven’t trained with players for a while so it was good to get back into the mix of things,” he said. “Hopefully, as the training sessions build up, I get a bit sharper.”