The Portland Timbers took an early shot to their 2011 inaugural season hopes on Saturday, when the club learned that young forward Bright Dike will miss a significant portion of the season after suffering a torn Achilles tendon.
Dike, 23, suffered the injury in the 20th minute of the Timbers’ preseason exhibition Friday against the Ventura County Fusion in Ventura, Calif. Dike told The Oregonian that he was trying to trap a ball early in the match when he heard something snap.
The club learned Saturday that the tendon had ruptured. Dike returned to Portland over the weekend and is scheduled for surgery on Tuesday, with the following rehab process costing him the bulk of what most expected to be a promising season with the Timbers.
"You wait two years to start playing in MLS ... and this injury happens," Dike told The Oregonian. "I'm not exactly sure how many months I'll be out. I'm pretty sure it's going to be a fair portion of the season."
Dike suffered the injury during the 20th minute of the game against the Ventura County Fusion, which ended in a 1-1 draw. Dike said he was attempting to trap the ball and heard something snap.
"I didn't do too much," Dike told The Oregonian. "I took a pivot step to trap the ball, and I heard something pop. I wasn't even sprinting after the ball. I just took a pivot step. That's really all I did."
Dike was one of four players Portland signed to an MLS contract in October. Originally drafted No. 12 overall by the Columbus Crew in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft, he failed to make the squad and signed a one-year contract with the Timbers in the USL last April.
He scored 10 goals for Portland in 2010, and was slated to compete for time against perceived Timbers starters Kenny Cooper and Colombian import Jorge Perlaza.
"It's unfortunate and frustrating, because I was really excited for the season to start," Dike said. "I'm just trying to stay positive and hopefully I'll be back to play a couple of games towards the end of the season."
