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Report: Torn Achilles sidelines Dike for 2014

Bright Dike of Nigeria

Photo by ISIPhotos.com

Bright Dike was looking at 2014 as a potential dream season. As a member of Toronto FC’s revamped squad, he was looking like the perfect complement to new forwards Jermain DeFoe and Gilberto. With the Nigerian national team, he had realistic hopes of possibly playing his way into a place on the World Cup squad.

Those dreams appear to be over.

Dike suffered a torn Achilles during a training session in Orlando on Monday that will sideline him for the rest of the 2014 season, Goal.com reported late the same day. The injury, the second major injury Dike has suffered in little more than two years, also ends his hopes of making Nigeria’s World Cup team.

Toronto FC released a statement late on Monday evening confirming that Dike had suffered an injury in training, but did not elaborate on the severity, saying only that Dike would be evaluated by team physicians on Tuesday.

Dike suffered a torn ACL almost exactly two years earlier, while with the Portland Timbers. An injury that cost him the 2012 MLS season, and saw him work his way back with the Timbers reserves before being traded to Toronto FC in 2013.

Dike showed encouraging flashes of potential late in TFC’s 2013 season, and did enough to earn a look from the Nigerian national team. The highlight of his career came last November, when he scored for Nigeria against Italy in a friendly match played in London.

What do you think of this development? See TFC being able to cope without their big forward option?

Share your thoughts below.

 

 

Comments

  1. Good luck Bright, you were a Timbers Army favorite and poured blood, sweat and tears into matches. Too bad for Toronto as well, would have been a dynamo with Defoe.

    Bright! Bright! Put your hands up!!! And keep your head up, you deserve nothing but adulation for your efforts in going from an LA Blues loanee to the precipice of a WC roster spot. Gutted for you.

    Reply
  2. I wish Adidas would have released Nigeria’s 2013 ACoN kit (seen above) for sale. Such a cool jersey, would loved to have had one.

    Reply
  3. Dike just can’t get a break. Second achilles tear since 2011 alongside a torn ACL in between. The poor guy needs some bionic reinforcements to ensure his health.

    Reply
  4. Important Read http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/feb/16/qatar-world-cup-400-deaths-nepalese

    The Nepalese make up 20% of the work force in Qatar’s preparation for the 2022 WC. 400 Nepalese have been reported dead. There have to been NO accounts to the deaths of the other impoverished ppl of other countries that make up the other 80% of the the work force. Their could already be deaths numbered in the few thousands

    Retweet article and post on FB to help spread awarness and stop the WC in Qatar

    Reply
    • Oh, I’m well aware. It’s horrible equally wonderful is that in countries like that the Police force is often Pakistani. The nationality isn’t really important outside the fact that non-citizens are enforcing the law. Essentially a mercenary police force.

      Also that’s horrible for Dike as I believe he was getting a call up.

      Reply
      • Police enforce laws on your own citizens.
        The military enforces foreign policy on foreign nation states.

        Essentially the citizens of Qatar have no role in the creation or enforcement of the law outside of the highest members of society. I’m just saying it means the police force don’t serve the people. They serve their paycheck and the autocrats that pay it.

        The affect of this is more notable in Bahrain.

      • OK, well the US has non-citizens in its police forces too. Citizenship per se has no effect on whether or not an institution serves the public. You’re right that citizens of Qatar have little role in creation or enforcement of the law, but this is generally the case in most resource dominated economies, where the government has no need for tax revenues and people are unable to demand much of their governments.

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