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Miguel Ibarra Could Be Star in the Making for USMNT

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By @seankjensen

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Getty Images

Although he’s busy preparing for matches in London and Dublin, U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann will be keeping tabs on domestic playoff matches this weekend.

But Major League Soccer isn’t the only source; he’ll also be tracking the North American Soccer League.

On Saturday night, in Blaine, Minn., Minnesota United FC will host an NASL semifinal game against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. Featured in that game is Miguel Ibarra, an NASL star forward he called up last month and played against Honduras.

“Klinsmann said I did a good job and I’m a national team player,” Ibarra told RantSports. “Then he said to go back to Minnesota and win a championship.”

Ibarra, 24, doesn’t want to disappoint.

Politics are at a play in this story.

Klinsmann, a highly success German-born player and coach, has been charged with taking U.S. Soccer to the highest level of the world’s most popular sport. He’s already made an impression, leading his team to a Round of 16 appearance in the 2014 World Cup, but he’s also irked some people with his candor and critique of the state of soccer stateside.

The latest barb came last month when asked about Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley deciding to return to MLS instead of leagues in Europe.

“There’s nothing I can do about it,” Klinsmann said before the 1-1 draw against Honduras, according to ESPN. “I made it clear with Clint’s move back and Michael’s move back that it’s going to be very difficult to keep the same level that they experienced at the places where they were. It’s just reality. It’s just being honest.”

The comment infuriated MLS Commissioner Don Garber, who called the comments “detrimental” and “wrong.”

Such sentiments, of course, come on the heels of Klinsmann’s decision to leave Landon Donovan – the top MLS-developed player ever – off his World Cup roster. Ultimately, though, the team didn’t suffer, and Klinsmann has proven time and again that he isn’t afraid to rock the proverbial boat.

Which leads us to Ibarra.

He’s not some weekend warrior plucked off a muni-league.

Ibarra can play.

He’s explosive and skilled, a relentless and resourceful player.

Ibarra is, as Klinsmann pointed out last month, “a late bloomer.”

“We watched him and a couple other players in the league, and they might go a different path than coming through MLS, Europe or Mexico,” Klinsmann said last month.

“But he’s a good example that there are different ways to get all the way to the top of the Senior National Team level.”

It’s an added bonus for Klinsmann, obviously, if he can stick it to MLS a little, too.  

 

GETTING THE CALL

After playing at University of California, Irvine, Ibarra was a second-round pick in the 2012 MLS supplemental draft. But he was one of the final players released by the Portland Timbers.

He ended up on the radar of Manny Lagos, a former National Team player who has served in several roles for Minnesota United FC. Lagos invited Ibarra to come to Minnesota for a tryout, and they spent some time together off the field.

After a few days, Lagos was convinced that Ibarra had a bright future.

“ ‘I really believe this could be great for us and great for you,’ ” Lagos recalled telling Ibarra. “I’m really happy because every year, we’ve committed to getting better as a club, and he has committed to getting better as a player.”

In 2012, they reached the NASL final but lost.

This year, they’ve been the frontrunner all season, and they’ve earned the league’s top postseason seed.

Little did Ibarra know, however, that his – and the team’s success – was being closely monitored by Klinsmann.

Lagos would constantly tell Ibarra, “Make sure you bring it every game because you never know who is watching.”

So about a month ago, Ibarra was stunned when he received a call from a number he didn’t recognize.

“This is Klinsmann,” the voice on the other end said.

“I was like, ‘Wow. This is real,’ ” Ibarra recalled. “I wasn’t expecting it.”

Ibarra was floored when he trained with the National Team, meeting players he looked up to, like Donovan.

“It was amazing,” Ibarra said. “I had just watched them in the World Cup. It was a dream I’ve always wanted since I was little. I never thought it would actually come true. It just showed that always working hard and never giving up on my dream made it come true.”

But Ibarra wasn’t star-struck. He trained hard, and he impressed the coaches enough to get some playing time against Honduras.

“I felt a sense of pride for our team,” Lagos said. “I had a lot of pride and excitement for Miguel because he’s a great young kid.”

That, of course, brings us back to Saturday.

Ibarra isn’t thinking about his next international cap.

“Right now, we have the semifinal game, and just getting this championship, and then take it from there,” he said.

That is, after all, what Klinsmann wants from him.

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