Miguel Ángel Ibarra Andrade (born March 15, 1990) is an American professional soccer player who plays for

Charlotte Independence Charlotte Independence is an American soccer team based in Charlotte, North Carolina that plays in the USL League One, the third tier of the American soccer pyramid. The Independence currently play their home games at American Legion Memorial ...

in the

USL League One USL League One (USL1) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that had its inaugural season in 2019. The Division III league is operated by United Soccer League, the same group that operates the Division II USL Championshi ...

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 K ...

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 UC may refer to: Arts and entertainment * '' University Challenge'', a popular British quiz programme airing on BBC Two ** ''University Challenge (New Zealand)'', the New Zealand version of the British programme * Universal Century, one of the t ...

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 syst ...

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 Wester ...

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, but was not signed by the club.

Minnesota United FC

Ibarra signed with NASL club Minnesota United FC on March 13, 2012. He made his professional debut on April 8, 2012 in a 0–0 draw against

Carolina RailHawks North Carolina FC is an American professional soccer team in Cary, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh. Founded in 2006, the team plays in USL League One, the third tier of the American league system. The team has played its home games ...

. 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 Club León Fútbol Club, also known as León, is a Mexican professional football club based in León, Guanajuato, that competes in the Liga MX, the top flight of Mexican football. León has won the Primera División de México/Liga MX title ...

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 ...

. 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.

San Diego Loyal

On May 28, 2021, Ibarra joined

USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, p ...

club San Diego Loyal SC 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 Oakland Roots Sports Club is an American professional soccer team based in Oakland, California. The club was formed in 2018 by a group of Oakland natives, and began play in the National Independent Soccer Association in the fall of 2019. In 2021, ...

Charlotte Independence

On March 30, 2022, Ibarra signed with

club

. Ibarra scored his first goal for Charlotte on April 16, 2022 in a 2-1 win over Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC.

International career

Ibarra was called up to United States national team 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: ' ...

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