#INSERT type:image caption: Opara, left, had to be helped from the field after colliding with Colorado Rapids defender Jared Watts.END#
KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Sporting Kansas City defender Ike Opara will have surgery on his injured right ankle and is likely to miss the rest of the MLS season.
The club says Thursday that the April 16 surgery will repair cartilage damage.
Opara had to be helped from the field after colliding with Colorado Rapids defender Jared Watts on March 29.
Sporting KC acquired Opara before the 2013 season. The 25-year-old center back has played 30 games in all competitions for the club over the last two years.