Ike is one of my favorite players to ever put on the shirt for SKC.
He was also one of the best to ever do it in Sporting blue.
Though he often battled injury early in his career, the defender was an incredible presence on the pitch and helped bolster Sporting Kansas City's backline alongside Matt Besler after the departure of Aurelien Collin.
He not only stood in with Besler, a club legend, he even surpassed him for stretches.
Opara won the MLS Defender of the Year award in 2017 and was named to the MLS Best XI that season. He also helped the club to the US Open Cup titles in 2015 and 2017. Later, after being traded to Minnesota United, Ike won MLS Defender of the Year again in 2019.
Ike Opara wore this shirt during the 2014 season.
He only made four league appearances that season due to the talar defect fracture in his right ankle. He also appeared in two CONCACAF Champions League matches.
This shirt does have some wear that looks to be a faint grass stain on the front (it's hard to see due to the lighting in the photo), but I haven't been able to nail down precisely which match this shirt was worn in.
Opara signed it on the back and it was purchased from the annual kitman sale put on by Sporting Kansas City after each season.