Miguel Ángel Ibarra Andrade (born March 15, 1990) is an American professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player who plays for Charlotte Independence in the USL League One.

College and amateur

Ibarra played

college soccer College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It is very prominent in United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and as well as in South Africa and the Philippines. The United Kingd ...

Taft College Taft College is a public community college in Taft, California. It is a part of the California Community Colleges system and is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges. The college is one of only a few community ...

from 2008 to 2009, and then at UC Irvine from 2010 to 2011. During his time at Taft, Ibarra was named as Central Valley Conference MVP and at Irvine was named as Named Big West Co-Offensive Player of the Year and All-Big West First Team in 2011. During his time at college, Ibarra played with

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syste ...

club

Lancaster Rattlers FC Santa Clarita (FCSC) is an American soccer team based in Santa Clarita, California, United States. FC Santa Clarita also known as the Santa Clarita Storm make just north of Los Angeles home, as they compete in the United Premier Soccer League ( ...

between 2008 and 2010, and later with

Orange County Blue Star Orange County Blue Star was an American soccer team based in Irvine, California. Founded in 1997, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Southwest Division of the Weste ...

in 2011.

Professional career

Ibarra was selected in the second round of the

2012 MLS Supplemental Draft The 2012 MLS Supplemental Draft was a secondary Draft (sports), draft that was held by Major League Soccer via conference call on January 17, 2012. The draft was four rounds and all 19 MLS clubs participated. Changes from 2011 *As an expansion c ...

(27th overall) by

Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional men's soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The Timbers have played their home games at P ...

, but was not signed by the club.

Minnesota United FC

Ibarra signed with NASL club

Minnesota United FC Minnesota United FC is an American professional soccer club based in Saint Paul, Minnesota that plays in the Western Conference of Major League Soccer. The club began play in 2017 as the league's 22nd club, and replaced the North American Socc ...

on March 13, 2012. He made his professional debut on April 8, 2012 in a 0–0 draw against Carolina RailHawks. He was named to the NASL Best XI in 2013 and 2014. He was named NASL Player of the Month for September 2014 and was awarded the 2014 Golden Ball as the league's best player at the conclusion of the season.

Club León

Ibarra signed with Club León on June 10, 2015, for a fee reported to be near $1 million.

Return to Minnesota

Ibarra returned to Minnesota in January 2017 for their inaugural season in MLS. The Portland Timbers previously owned his MLS rights but sent them to Minnesota United as part of a trade for goalkeeper

Jeff Attinella Jeff Attinella (born September 29, 1988) is an American former professional soccer player who previously played as a goalkeeper for Major League Soccer club Portland Timbers. Career College and amateur Attinella is a product of the University o ...

. His option was declined at the end of the 2019 season, releasing him from the club.

Seattle Sounders FC

On February 20, 2020, Ibarra signed with

Seattle Sounders FC Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club was established on November 13, 2007, and began ...

San Diego Loyal

On May 28, 2021, Ibarra joined USL Championship club

San Diego Loyal SC San Diego Loyal Soccer Club is an American professional soccer team based in San Diego, California. The team was founded by Warren Smith and Landon Donovan. San Diego Loyal made its debut in 2020 as an expansion team in the USL Championship. ...

for the 2021 season. Ibarra scored his first goal for San Diego on June 29, 2022, the winner in a 1-0 victory over Oakland Roots SC.

Charlotte Independence

On March 30, 2022, Ibarra signed with USL League One club Charlotte Independence. Ibarra scored his first goal for Charlotte on April 16, 2022 in a 2-1 win over

Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC is an American professional soccer team based in Windsor, Colorado. The club was founded in 2021, and made its competitive debut in 2022. The team plays in USL League One, the third tier of the American soccer pyr ...

International career

Ibarra was called up to

United States national team The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

for an October 2014 friendly against

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

, becoming the first American second division player called up to the national team since 2005. He earned his first cap against

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...

on October 14, 2014. Ibarra received a second call up to the national team for the final two games of the 2014 campaign but did not see playing time in either game. His first start came on February 8, 2015 in a USMNT friendly against Panama.

Personal life

Ibarra was born in the United States to Mexican parents. Ibarra was teammates with former Minnesota Stars player

Amani Walker Amani Walker (born 16 December 1989 in San Diego, California) is a Jamaican footballer. Career College and Amateur Walker attended Francis Parker High School, and played for the Surf FC club team, before going on to play four years of college ...

while at UC Irvine. While at Minnesota they were roommates and carpooled to practice together. During the 2014 season, Ibarra was joined in Minnesota by former

teammate Christian Ramirez. The two became roommates and formed a fruitful partnership on the field. Ibarra was nicknamed "Batman" and Ramirez "Superman" by the fans.

Career statistics

Honors

Individual * NASL Golden Ball: 2014 * NASL Best XI: 2014 * NASL Player of the Month – September 2014 * NASL Best XI: 2013

References

External links

UC Irvine profile

Club profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ibarra, Miguel 1990 births Living people American soccer players American people of Mexican descent American expatriate soccer players UC Irvine Anteaters men's soccer players Lancaster Rattlers players Orange County Blue Star players People from Lancaster, California Minnesota United FC (2010–2016) players Club León footballers Minnesota United FC players Seattle Sounders FC players San Diego Loyal SC players Charlotte Independence players Association football midfielders Soccer players from California Sportspeople from Los Angeles County, California Portland Timbers draft picks Expatriate footballers in Mexico USL League Two players North American Soccer League players Liga MX players Major League Soccer players United States men's international soccer players All-American men's college soccer players USL Championship players USL League One players