The two-time MLS Defender of the Year isn’t going anywhere any time soon.



Minnesota United has agreed to terms with center back Ike Opara on a multi-year deal, sources tell The Athletic. The new deal — which was agreed to earlier this season, sources say — will kick in for the 2020 season, including a signing bonus to supplement his 2019 wages, which, according to the MLSPA, saw him earn a guaranteed compensation of $367,916.71.



While these parameters could change after a new CBA is negotiated this winter, Opara’s new deal would classify him as a Targeted Allocation Money (TAM) player under current rules.







The pay increase and long-term stability is a fitting reward for one of the league’s best defenders over the past five seasons. Opara won MLS’s top defensive honor in 2017 with Sporting Kansas City and was awarded Defender of the Year a second time on Thursday afternoon. In his first season with...