January 25, 2024 – United Soccer League One (USL1) – Charlotte Independence News Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Charlotte Independence announced today that midfielder Miguel Ibarra is returning for the 2024 season. Ibarra served as the team captain in the latter half of the 2023 season.
“Since we moved to League One, Miguel has been the heartbeat of our roster,” Head Coach Mike Jeffries expressed. “I am excited to welcome him back to the Independence for 2024 and look forward to watching him dictate the tempo of games and make the players around him better through his distribution and knowledge of the game. In addition, Miguel continues to be a great leader and mentor for the younger players on the roster – showing up every day with intensity, desire, and professionalism.”
2024 will be Ibarra’s third year with the Independence. He led the team with seven assists in 2022 and 2023; this total ranked fifth in the league in 2023. He has a total of five goals across the two years. Ibarra played in all 35 games during the club’s run to the 2023 USL League One Final and posted a stellar 91% passing accuracy.
“I’m excited to be back for another season,” Ibarra shared. “Last year we came up short of bringing a trophy to Charlotte, so that itself was a little motivation to come back and work towards that same goal. I’m excited to see the fans and coaching staff again and get to work. I know it’s going to be a good year, and I’m excited for 2024.”
Prior to his time with the Independence, Ibarra played for USL Championship side San Diego Loyal in 2021 and scored two goals in 28 appearances. He spent the previous year with the Seattle Sounders, making 12 MLS appearances plus a CONCACAF Champions League match against Honduran side C.D. Olimpia.
Across two stints, Ibarra spent seven seasons with Minnesota United. He started with Minnesota in 2012 in the North American Soccer League (NASL) and went on to earn NASL Best XI (2013, 2014) and NASL Player of the Month (2014) honors. In 2014, Ibarra was awarded the Golden Ball as the league’s best player.
Ibarra joined Liga MX side Club Léon from 2015-2017 and scored one goal in eight appearances before returning to Minnesota United for the club’s inaugural MLS season. He appeared in 84 games and scored 11 goals over three seasons (2017-2020).
Collegiately, Ibarra began his soccer career at Taft College and was named Central Valley Conference MVP. He then transferred to UC Irvine before his junior year where he earned All Big…