Ike Opara played his college ball at Wake Forest University. In the 2010 MLS SuperDraft, the San Jose Earthquakes selected the center back in the first round, with the No. 3 overall pick. He played for the Quakes for three MLS seasons, before being traded to Sporting Kansas City for a second-round pick in 2012. SKC was the club he had the most success with, and spent the most time with as well. In 2013, he won MLS Cup with the club. But, the stellar CB has had quite the brutal injury history.
In 2014, Opara played just 152 minutes due to a season-ending ankle injury in April. Exactly one year later, he ruptured his Achilles tendon, playing just 534 minutes on the season. He did score twice in his limited games at the start of 2015. His main source of goal scoring was with headers of course, he was there to knock one home against the Red Bulls. He pounded home a towering header against the other New York team later in the month. Opara suffered the injury soon after. SKC also won the 2015 US Open Cup.
In 2016, he began an incredible four-year stretch that sees him ranked so highly on this list. On July 3rd, he centered a header that was put home at the back post for a stoppage time winner. In the very next match, he was knocked down in the box, got up and placed a striker's finish into the back of the net. In September, Opara flicked a slight header on a corner, assisting a Kevin Ellis goal. SKC finished as the fifth seed heading into the playoffs. In the postseason, though, it was Seattle who sent the team home in a match that Ike did not even play in.
Opara truly had his breakout season in 2017. He kept 11 clean sheets at the back for SKC. On June 3rd, he used his long legs to stride towards the box and let fly from distance. A deflection gave him some help on a rocketed goal. In a matchup of the same two teams soon after in the Open Cup, he added another. A couple matches later, he scored what has to be his greatest goal ever, again looking as if he was a target man striker. He lined himself up in front of the charging Clement Diop, then chipped him with an overhead kick. Four days later, Opara headed in another goal. It was his fourth goal in all competitions in the month of June. Sporting Kansas City hoisted the 2017 US Open Cup, defeating the Red Bulls 2-1. On Decision Day, Ike scored a clean diving header as a consolation goal. After another fifth place finish, SKC went out to Houston in the first round. At the conclusion of the 2017 MLS season, Ike Opara was named the MLS Defender of the Year. He also made the 2017 MLS Best XI.
In 2018, it was yet another fabulous year for Ike Opara, keeping 11 clean sheets for the second consecutive campaign. Johnny Russell got to the end-line and squared for Ike Opara at the back post against Real Salt Lake. Opara set up a goal nicely in the box with a light layoff in a loss to FC Dallas. In a 5-1 thrashing of San Jose, he slammed home a rebound. He towered high to head one in past Nick Rimando, scoring another goal against Real Salt Lake, the team he terrorizes most often. Towards the end of the season, Opara knocked one down for a Roger Espinoza goal. He scored 3 goals and 2 assists during the 2018 season. SKC won the Western Conference regular season. In the playoffs, they defeated Real Salt Lake, but lost to Portland in the next round. It was disappointing end to such a good season.
On January 28, 2019, Sporting Kansas City traded Ike Opara to Minnesota United in exchange for up to $1m in allocation money. It was his third consecutive near-perfect defensive season. He held 8 clean sheets at the back. He scored his first goal for his new club on a set piece versus the Seattle Sounders. On June 29th, he did the double on Cincinnati. He cleaned up a free kick at the back post to open the scoring. For the second, he hit a header with unbelievable power during the 7-1 victory. Despite being a CB, Opara truly had some moments where he looked like an attacker. He is among the most athletic defenders MLS has ever seen. In the next match, he won the ball off the high press, beat a defender with a cutback, before using the outside of his boot to assist Kevin Molino. Minnesota finished fourth, losing to the LA Galaxy in the first round. Ike Opara won the 2019 MLS Defender of the Year Award, his second in three years. He was also named to the Best XI again.
The 2019 season was Opara's last full season in Major League Soccer unfortunately. The man known by many for his incredibly good and speedy cards in FIFA played two last games for Minnesota United in 2020. After defeating Portland 3-1 on opening day, the Loons were set to visit San Jose. Opara has a pretty cool story for his last ever game. Just days before the world shut down, he dropped a brace in San Jose. Twelve minutes in, he destroyed a header off a corner kick. Unknown to him at the time, Opara scored another header off a corner with just 20 minutes remaining in his MLS career. He technically finished the 2020 season with one goal per every 90. At first, the injury did not seem to be too serious, but time kept passing and he was nowhere to be found. Eventually, Minnesota broke the silence by buying him out in August of 2021.
Ahead of the 2022 season, Ike Opara rejoined Sporting Kansas City, this time as a coach. He was named an assistant coach of SKC II in MLS NEXT Pro, joining a staff that includes Benny Feilhaber as head coach. The way in which his career was forced to end was rather tragic, but he is thriving in his new coaching role to this day. There is no doubt that Opara was one of the very best defenders in Major League Soccer when healthy, and those years from 2016-2019 proved just that. Ike Opara comes in at #37.
YEAR | CLUB | MINUTES | GOALS | ASSISTS | CS |
2020 | MIN | 180 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
2019 | MIN | 2,566 | 3 | 1 | 8 |
2018 | SKC | 2,773 | 3 | 2 | 11 |
2017 | SKC | 2,700 | 3 | 0 | 11 |
2016 | SKC | 1,542 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
2015 | SKC | 534 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
2014 | SKC | 152 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
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