Miguel Ibarra is heading to Liga MX. Minnesota United has sold the United States international to Club Leon, putting Ibarra in the top flight for the first time in his career.
Ibarra was over looked coming out of college and got no more than a short trial in MLS so he joined Minnesota in NASL. There, he became one of the best players in the league, winning the Golden Ball last year. His play for the Loons also earned him several call-ups to the national team, making him the first player from the second division to play for the national team since 2005.
The question has long been when Ibarra would move to a bigger league. A deal with MLS would always be tough because of the tension between MLS and NASL, as well as MLS's unwillingness to pay transfer fees. That seemed to have him stuck with the Loons, but then Liga MX became an option and now he'll get to challenge himself in the best league in North America.
Club Leon have been one of the better teams in Mexico, winning the league in the 2014 Clausura. But the club struggled last season, failing to make the Liguilla in both the Apertura or Clausura. Now they're making several changes this summer an Ibarra is one of them as Leon hope to get back into the title mix.