Life’s obstacles can come in many forms for a young man. In the case of Darvin Ebanks, who seems to have a little bit of everything – a sharp mind, good athleticism and a commitment to North Carolina – his early impediments have come in the form of injuries.

Ebanks, of Cobb FC in Atlanta, will be sidelined for the next 10-12 weeks because of a nagging left foot injury. Ebanks broke the foot for the third time this year last week, sustaining an injury in his high school’s state final championship game.

“It’s tough,” Ebanks said. “I couldn’t play in my last game for my club team and we ended up losing. Because we lost that game, we came in second in the league.”

Ebanks first sustained the injury in May. He showed no ill effects during his time with the Discover Europe team at the end of July and beginning of August. Joining the 18-man roster that included Joseph Sofia Jr., Patrick Matchett, Harrison Petts, Kovi Konowiecki, Kelyn Rowe and Miles Byass, and toured Europe while playing against world-class clubs, Ebanks was a valuable member of the team and thrived at left back.

A left-footed player, Ebanks is versatile enough to play virtually anywhere on the field, and he’s a top scorer for many of his teams – he contributed a goal in his state title game before going down with injury.

Time off for Ebanks will be a good thing as he has a chance to completely heal and possibly come back better than ever.

“I plan to go to the gym and do as much as I can to keep fit so the transition back into playing won’t be so hard,” Ebanks said. “I’m planning to come back and start playing in January. I believe I have an international trip to Brazil or Argentina for my regional team, so I want to be back for that.”