Ike Opara @ikennaopara | Perfect Soccer Podcast Ep.012
11 Year MLS Cup Champion Quincy Amarikwa (@QuincyAmarikwa) presents - The Perfect Soccer Podcast, Where your host Paul Guarino goes 1 on 1 to get to know your favorite professional soccer players, on and off the pitch.
In today’s episode: Paul interviewed Minnesota United defender Ike Opara. Ike discusses his time at Wake Forest winning the NCAA Championship, winning an MLS Cup, and how he has gotten better and better throughout the years.
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0:00 - 1:23 Intro
1:24 - 3:08 Thoughts on when the MLS is going to come back
3:09 - 3:45 How Ike got into soccer
3:46 - 5:12 High school or club soccer or both?
5:13 - 6:38 Playing multiple sports
6:39 - 9:05 Recruiting process out of high school
9:06 - 12:14 Losing scholarships and gaining new ones
12:15 - 14:53 Winning the NCAA National Championship with Wake Forest as freshman
14:54 - 15:39 Going from hunted to hunter
15:40 - 17:41 Leaving college early to enter the MLS draft
17:42 - 19:07 Going through the MLS draft process
19:08 - 20:02 Getting drafted 3rd overall to the San Jose Earthquakes
20:03 - 22:33 1st MLS game experience
22:34 - 24:38 Getting traded in the MLS for the 1st time
24:39 - 25:00 Perfect Soccer ad
25:01 - 26:38 Winning the MLS Cup with Sporting KC
26:39 - 28:40 Which was sweeter to win the MLS Cup or NCAA Championship?
28:41 - 30:35 Being named Defense Player of Year and Best XI twice
30:36 - 31:55 Better with age
31:56 - 32:35 Ike’s trophy room
32:36 - 34:45 Getting traded for a 2nd time
34:46 - 36:01 Playing for USMNT
36:02 - 41:05 Quincy’s 5 questions
41:06 - 47:52 Off the pitch questions
47:53 - 48:58 Outro
11 Year MLS Cup Champion Quincy Amarikwa’s (@QuincyAmarikwa) presents - The Perfect Soccer Podcast
Where your host Paul Guarino goes 1 on 1 to get to know your favorite professional soccer players, on and off the pitch.
Because how better to learn what it takes to become a pro soccer player, other than directly from pro soccer players?
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