Sporting Kansas City defender Ike Opara has been named a nominee for Etihad Airways Player of the Month for March. Opara started all four matches for Sporting KC this month and scored two goals, while anchoring a backline that has recorded two shutouts.
Voting for MLS Player of the Month runs until 1:59 a.m. CT, Thursday, April 2. The winner will be revealed that morning.
After missing the final six months of 2014 with a chondral defect injury in his right ankle, Opara has come out of the gates with a strong start to the 2015 campaign. The 26-year-old defender has been named to the MLS Team of the Week three times - most of any player in MLS in 2015.
"He’s tremendous," Sporting KC Manager Peter Vermes said after Saturday's match. "I would tell you that I think that he’s the best player in the league in the air. He’s got incredible timing in the air. He’s excellent on attacking set pieces. This is his second goal already in four games."
Through the first month of the season, Opara leads MLS in interceptions (25) and headed clearances (24) and ranks second in total clearances (36) and duels won (34). In last Saturday's 1-0 win over NYCFC, Opara scored the game-winning goal in the 12th minute and led all players with 13 clearances, 12 duels won and nine interceptions. Opara is the only Sporting KC defender to have started all four matches in 2015 and one of only two field players to have played all 360 minutes.
Three Sporting KC players were voted MLS Player of the Month in 2014. Dom Dwyer earned the honor in May, while former Sporting KC goalkeeper Eric Kronberg was voted Player of the Month in June and midfielder Benny Feilhaber in July.
