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Opara to undergo season-ending surgery on ankle

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Photo by Bill Barrett/ISIphotos.com

By FRANCO PANIZO

Sporting Kansas City’s defensive depth has taken a big hit, as center back Ike Opara has been lost for the season.

Sporting KC announced on Thursday that Opara will undergo surgery on April 16 to repair damaged cartilage in his right ankle and is expected to miss the rest of the 2014 campaign. Opara suffered the injury when he tried to clear a ball in the penalty area but made contact with Jared Watts’ leg in the second half of Sporting KC’s 3-2 win over the Colorado Rapids on March 29. Opara was called for a foul on the play and Colorado earned a penalty kick that Vicente Sanchez converted.

Opara was primed for a chunk of playing time with the defending MLS Cup champions due to starting center back Matt Besler’s likely inclusion in the U.S. Men’s National Team’s World Cup roster.

The 25-year-old Opara, who has had injury issues in the past, started in two of the three league games he played in this season andĀ also saw time in the CONCACAF Champions League last month.

What do you make of Sporting KC losing Opara for the season? How big of a loss is it for the club? Has center back now become an area of concern for Sporting KC?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. He’s 25 so lets not give up on him. He’s clearly a better athlete than Besler and so much better in the air. The future is bright for him.

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  2. Nothing personal but he was a disaster for the Quakes and KC is better off without him. He was the reason SJ got knocked out of the Cup 2 yrs ago, he gave up lots of goals making major mistakes, He is an offensive force on corners but is an accident waiting to happen on defense. Why do you think Jason Hernandez started over him, not much better, then the Quakes picked up Bernardez followed by Goodson? They had to stop the bleeding…

    I always wanted to see him get a chance at the ‘Makelele’ role, def mid….

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  3. The only reason he wasn’t starting in SKC is because behind 2 of the top 6 centerbacks in the league. He was well on the road to be a nats team player again then this injury happened. He is at the age when Besler really started to blossom, and he was showing signs of the same.

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  4. Does this mean more opportunities for Eric Palmer-Brown?? Isn’t he a CB.??I wonder if he will be recalled to SKC after being called up for the U20’s for the Dallas Cup.

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  5. Tough blow. Injuries prevented him from establishing himself in SJ too. Hope he is able to stay healthy for a stretch after this operation.

    Reply

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