Miguel Ibarra I had to leave the house to start his professional football career. On Monday, he will announce that he is coming home to end it, joining By Alta FCTHE USL League One Team that will start to play in the Antelope valley in March.
“I'm really happy to be back home,” he said. “I never thought I would finish here and play my last years for AV, getting home and being next to my family and my father and mom.”
Not next to them, but under the same roof. As part of the house, Ibarra returned to his parents' house for the first time since he left the Antelope valley to join Minnesota United in the NASL in 2012, the first stop of a 12 -year career that saw him play for six teams in five leagues in two countries.
Miguel Ibarra, wearing an Anu High FC jersey.
(Jose Lucha)
No player from the Antelope valley has played more games for the American National or has scored more goals in MLS than Ibarra. But it is largely because few players from the Antelope valley have played professional football. And that's something John Smelzer wants to change with Av Alta who, when launched, will be the only professional team in all sports valley in rapid growth, a community of 538,000 to approximately one hour north of Los Angeles.
“As a community club, we plan to create a path to professional football for young people of AV,” said Smelzer, a long -standing sports and media executive that began his career in the 1994 World Cup organizing committee. “The identification and development of young players is not only the business model, it is the right thing to do.”
The presence of Ibarra is vital to create this connection. There is a living proof that you can go from the Antelope valley to the national team and that is why Av Alta threw his sights two years ago, when the team was little more than a dream.
“When we preach local, we appreciate the whole complete loop with Miguel,” said Nehemiias “Nini” Blanco, the director general of the team. “This is probably the best story to tell the community. One of them comes home.
“Miguel is a perfect signature, a perfect story.”
Ibarra, 34, said he was planning to retire two years ago, after his first season in USL League One with Charlotte. Two years earlier, he had adapted to the Sounders of Seattle in the MLS Cup; His career fell. But then, he received a call from Panchito Ramírez, who had played for the same football club for young people from Antelope Valley as Ibarra and helped Smelzer to assemble a professional team.
“I had already made my decision,” said Ibarra, who led Charlotte with seven assists, helping independence in the match for the title USL League One, about retirement. “He told me everything, that it could happen. And that his idea was not I did not think it would be a bit cool if I would come back and retire here at home, in front of my family and where it all started. ”
Of course, he thought it was cool. Ibarra therefore signed a two -year contract to play at the Lancaster municipal stadium, the former baseball stadium for minor leagues about 10 miles from the place where he grew up. The city of Lancaster spends more than $ 17 million to update the 28 -year -old stadium, transforming it into a 5,300 -seat football stadium with a section of supporters safely behind the North goal.
A rendering of the construction field of the football team AV Alta at the Lancaster municipal stadium.
Ibarra said that he knew that part of his work would be mentoring young players, which he would like to continue, perhaps as a coach with Alta when he finally retired. Until then, the club hopes that he will not be the only native of Antelope Valley to the team.
“The talent which is obviously there in the AV, and the demography of football which is there in the AV, I have no doubt that we are going to find hidden gems which, for one reason or another, would not have had the opportunity in the past,” said Brian Kleiban, the first coach of Av Alta.
Who said you couldn't get home?
