Dike tore his anterior cruciate ligament in a friendly game against Seattle Sounders last week and has consequently been ruled out until August at least.
Timbers have now listed Deon McCaulay, a Belizean international forward as a possible replacement for Dike, who underwent successful surgery last weekend.
Lamenting the loss of the Nigerian striker, Timbers head coach Caleb Porter said: "It’s too bad. We feel for Bright. He was going to be a key piece for us this year. But that’s football, it happens and guys get injured.
"He’s a tough kid, he’s a great kid, he’s a good kid. We’ll miss him, but he’ll overcome this.”
The 26-year-old, who scored five goals in Timbers’ final 11 games of last season, made his international debut for Nigeria in a friendly game against Venezuela last November and was part of coach Stephen Keshi's 32-man provisional squad for the Nations Cup, until he was left out of the final 23-man roster.
Your comments on this story...
I can see him green with envy after Nigeria cane to South Africa and took the cup away right under their nose.
Year 2000 Cameron won AFCON under your nose in Nigeria, so please don't talk as if it was the first time that happening.
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So you declare yourselve a ############?
Moreover, we won the silver medal. Our co host was dismissed in the first round. We beat you in the quarter finals by a wide margin of 4-0 if you recall very well.
Again, it was Cameroon that won the cup and not banana banana. The point is that SA can never win an AFCON title on our home soil. Okpetu!
Moreover, we won the silver medal. Our co host was dismissed in the first round. We beat you in the quarter finals by a wide margin of 4-0 if you recall very well.
Again, it was Cameroon that won the cup and not banana banana. The point is that SA can never win an AFCON title on our home soil. Okpetu!
Moreover, we won the silver medal. Our co host was dismissed in the first round. We beat you in the quarter finals by a wide margin of 4-0 if you recall very well.
Again, it was Cameroon that won the cup and not banana banana. The point is that SA can never win an AFCON title on our home soil. Okpetu!
... ..Oscar Pistorius 'shoots' girlfriend: South Africa is a country dogged by violent crime
Yahoo! News – 10 hours ago....Email 0Recommend21Tweet7Print......
View Photo.Rex -
Police officers in Johannesburg, South Africa
..... Article: Oscar Pistorius Charged Over Girlfriend Murder
Sky News - 36 minutes ago
....South Africa has some of the highest rates for violent crime in the world, with an average of nearly 50 people murdered each day.
There are also high levels of assault, rape, robbery and carjackings.
Some home-owners carry weapons to defend themselves against intruders.
Oscar Pistorius was understood to have shot his girlfriend in the head and arm, although the circumstances surrounding the incident were unclear. He may have mistaken her for a burglar, according to Johannesburg's Talk Radio 702.
According to United Nations research, South Africa has one of the highest firearm-related homicide rates in the world, second only to Colombia at the time.
The rate, which was measured per 100,000 people, put the country's score four times higher than the US.
According to statistics 12.7 in every 100 people in South Africa own a gun and it is estimated there are almost six million civilian firearms.
In 2008/09 it was reported that there were 662 murders in the UK, but in South Africa there were 18,148.
There are also an alleged 18,000 attempted murders each year.
As a result of these high levels of violent crime, many people choose to live in gated communities and employ private security guards.
These are especially common for middle class residents and often involve high perimeter fencing and alarm systems linked to security teams.
Both blacks and white people live in guarded compounds and are protected by firms that often promise to respond within three minutes.
The South African Police Service also often employs security companies to protect their own police stations, with the private security industry estimated to be worth 14 billion South African rand (£1 billion).
Fear of crime is high, with the Institute for Security Studies estimating that 50% of people in Pretoria feel \"very unsafe\\" walking in their area at night.
A study by the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, based in Johannesburg, said there are a number of causes for the high levels of violence in South Africa.
These include the normalisation of violence in society, so it has become a legitimate means of resolving conflict, and a subculture of criminality ranging from individuals to gangs.
The report also highlighted the vulnerability of young people and the high levels of unemployment and poverty.
..
Sunday Mba celebrates his goal
(Photo: skysports.com)
Bundelsiga outfit Bayern Leverkusen and Dinamo Zagreb top the list of sixteen teams chasing the signature of Super Eagles latest sensation Sunday Mba according to the Executive Chairman of Delta State Sports Commission, Amaju Pinnick.
Pinnick told a Lagos based radio station on Thursday the list of suitors for the two-goal Afcon hero was growing by the day and his parent club Warri Wolves will weigh all the offers coming their way before a decision is finally taken
Unending chase
-Bayern Leverkusen and Dinamo Zagreb are top on the list but we have received as much as 16 concrete offers for Mba. The Delta State Sports Boss revealed.
On Sunday in Johannesburg, the 24-year-old Warri Wolves forward scored the goal that ended Nigeria’s 19-year wait for a continental glory as they won their third Nations Cup trophy at the expense of Burkina Faso.
In 2008, Mba was close to teaming up with Spanish lower league side Elche, but the deal collapsed after his local club then, Enugu Rangers, demanded too much money.
The window in Western Europe is shut, but there are still opportunities in places like Ukraine and Russia.
Written 14/02-13 18:08 by Eludini Babatunde