You know Ike Opara as a strong, talented, energetic center back who is simultaneously one of MLS' most wrenching hard-luck stories and one of its most inspiring feel-good narratives.
A fracture in his right ankle robbed Opara of most of his 2014 season. He came back from that injury, only to go down with a ruptured left Achilles early in 2015, after his play at both ends of the pitch generated plenty of buzz about a possible US national team call-up for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Opara worked his way back from that setback, too, and is once more a key component of Sporting Kansas City's central defense.