Minnesota soccer fans lined up four and five deep after Saturday's match, waiting with T-shirts, markers and cellphones for Miguel Ibarra, a player none of them saw coming but hated to see go.
An unheralded rookie four years ago, Ibarra rose to the league's most valuable player, call-ups to the U.S. National Team and recently, a top-tier team in Mexican professional league Liga MX. Late last week, United FC and Club León agreed to transfer Ibarra for a seven-figure fee.
Ibarra will return in July with Club León for a friendly match. But Saturday's spring season finale at the National Sports Center in Blaine meant saying goodbye to many fans. The last player introduced, he received a standing ovation from an announced team record crowd of 9,342 fans. They rose again after Ibarra's first-half goal. A 3-2 loss to Fort Lauderdale, however, captured the full spectrum of Ibarra's mixed emotions.
"I've been here four years so it's a little bittersweet," he said.
Evaluating a second-half collapse against Fort Lauderdale, Ibarra said, "I just think we're going to do better." He caught himself adding, "I mean, the team is going to have to do better. I know they'll pick it up for the fall season."
Teammates told Ibarra in the pre-match huddle "they were going to play this game for me," he said.
Afterward, the sting of a second-half collapse against Fort Lauderdale was difficult for coach Manny Lagos to overlook.
"Right now the urgency was to get three points tonight and we got zero," Lagos said. "My mind hasn't moved on to the Miguel situation too much."
Ibarra, a 25-year-old California native, became the team's face. United's owners were recently selected for a Major League Soccer expansion franchise, his jersey is the team's top seller and the national team exposure drew national interest.
After the match, kids half Ibarra's age but nearly as tall as the 5-7 midfielder jostled and juked for autograph position the way he does with the ball at his feet. Team officials stole Ibarra away to visit dozens of waiting Dark Clouds, the club's tireless supporters.
They presented Ibarra, who is nicknamed "Batman," with a signed banner. He drew cheers for donning the gift like a cape.
Well-wishes and gratitude poured from many fans. One declared, "You're the heart and soul of this team." Yet another pleaded, "Come back, Batman."
A large white banner hanging from the grandstand reminded Ibarra he is "Always a Loon."
