The center back had another season cut short by injury in 2015, and hopes 2016 will finally be the year he extends his strong play across an entire campaign.
Ike Opara had beaten the odds.
The center back had struggled with injuries through much of his career, and then had to sit out almost the entire 2014 season with a rare chondral defect in his right ankle.
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But there he was, back starting for Sporting Kansas City to begin the 2015 season. Opara wasn’t just starting, though, he was thriving.