Since the age of five Ethan Ibarra knew he wanted soccer to be in his life forever. Sparked by watching soccer on TV with his dad while waiting to watch cartoons, Ethan fell in love with the sport.
“All I wanted to do was play every day,” he says. But after a life threatening accident in 2022 at the age of 19, Ethan realized that his love for soccer could be fulfilled by more than just playing.
His journey began playing recreationally, then competitively, then collegiately at St. Katherine’s University in San Marcos. After graduating from Mission Hills High School in 2020 and wrapping up his club career at City SC Carlsbad, City SC Directors Glenn Malone and Steve Cowell, suggested he consider coaching.
“His passion for the game was unreal,” said Malone. “As a player he was always the leader. I knew that would translate to the kids. Inspiring that kind of lifelong passion is our core mission at the club.”
Inspired by the opportunity to help kids pursue their own passion for soccer, Ethan spent a season as an assistant coach at City SC. He accepted the offer to coach his own team in 2022, but his coaching plans were put on hold just weeks after tryouts in January.
Ethan was stuck by a car while on a run in his neighborhood. He suffered a fractured skull and diffuse axonal injury; a brain injury that affects the nerve fibers in the head, impacting cognitive and physical function in addition to swelling in the brain and pressure in the skull. Ethan underwent emergency brain surgery. The surgery was a success, but Ethan’s balance and speech were both impacted. He began an intensive regiment of occupational therapy, speech therapy and physical therapy. He required assistance to walk and had to re-learn how to structure sentences in his head before speaking. Doctors said he would be in the hospital for seven months while recovering. He was home in one month.
“The athlete in me kicked in and motivated me to show everyone I could do the things they wanted me to do, and to show I could do it faster than they said I could,” he said.
One year removed from his accident, Ethan is picking up his coaching plans right where he left off. While his competitive playing days may have come to an end, the accident has given him a new perspective on his relationship with the game he loves.
“I knew I wanted soccer to be in my life forever, and I just wanted to play all day,” Ibarra reiterated. “The accident gave me a new perspective. It made me realize there are so many ways to be in soccer beyond just playing.”
It should come as no surprise that his goal as a coach is to help foster a lifelong passion for the game in his players.
“Getting the boys involved in anything involving soccer, that’s my main goal. That’s my mission.”
