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Miguel Ibarra: "It Should Be a Fun Game, a Good Test"

The North American Soccer League star is beginning to feel like he fits right with the other players on the United States national team. Will he get to showcase his skills on Wednesday evening?
BY Brooke Tunstall Posted
April 14, 2015
4:00 PM

SAN ANTONIO—The novelty has worn off for Miguel Ibarra. No longer is he just “the NASL guy.” Now he feels like a regular part of the United States national team.

It made headlines last fall when U.S. coach Jurgen Klinmann called up Ibarra, a member of the second division NASL’s Minnesota United.

“At first, you just want to prove you belong,” Ibarra said. “But this is my fifth camp now. The more you’re here, the more you get to know the other guys on the team and show you can play, the more you start to feel first comfortable."

Ibarra earned his first cap in October, coming on as a sub against Honduras then started February’s friendly with Panama. But were he to take the field Wednesday against Mexico, it would be a big step up in international opposition.

“They’re a very good team, obviously, with a lot of very skilled players,” said Ibarra. “But it should be a fun game, a good test."

Ibarra’s now in his fourth season with Minnesota, where he was named NASL Golden Ball winner last fall. When he was first summoned to the national team, there was lots of speculation in American soccer spheres that he’d be soon making the jump to MLS.

Instead, MLS is coming to him, if he’s willing to wait. Last month Minnesota was announced as an expansion team and is set to begin play in MLS in 2018.

“It was very exciting. I was with the national team (in Denmark) and I watched the whole thing online,” Ibarra said.

He sounds very happy in Minnesota but would consider playing in MLS before United becomes the 23rd team in three years. “Well, I’m under contract with Minnesota and I like it there,” he said. “But if a chance to play in MLS before comes up, maybe that can happen. We’ll see.”

One thing he is adamant about, however, is that in 2018, he wants to be playing in Minnesota when it joins MLS.

“Definitely,” he said. “That’s something I want to be a part of.”

Brooke Tunstall is an American Soccer Now contributing editor and ASN 100 panelist. Follow him on Twitter.

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