The Legacy of Jesus Ibarra

Salute to a crowd pleaser

Jesus Ibarra leaves Chattanooga FC. Photo credit: Chattanooga FC Communications

Yesterday, Chattanooga FC announced the departure of winger Jesus Ibarra. The 27-year-old had been with CFC since June 2023 participating in the club’s transition from NISA to MLS Next Pro and was an important part of the club’s early professional years.

Prior to moving to Chattanooga, Ibarra spent two seasons with Greenville Triumph in USL League One, where he helped lead the club to the 2021 final, and stints with West Virginia Alliance and Charleston Battery. His career also took him to Sweden, where he played for Boden in the 2019-20 season.

Signed by former Head Coach Rod Underwood, Ibarra made his competitive debut for CFC on July 1st 2023 against LA Force in NISA. He grabbed his first assist (and won a penalty) for the team a week later against Michigan Stars and his first goal later that month in a 2-1 away win over Gold Star Detroit when he headed the winning strike. In all he made 13 regular season appearances that year, registering over 1,000 minutes and scoring three goals as the club clinched the NISA Regular Season crown.

As Chattanooga made the leap into MLS Next Pro, there were few players more important in their first season than Ibarra. In 2024 he made 17 league appearances and started in 13 matches, logging over 1,100 minutes. He scored seven goals, making him the team's joint-second top goalscorer that year. He also made one Open Cup appearance. The highlight of the season was undoubtedly when he scored the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro Goal of the Year in the club's 3-0 win over FC Cincinnati 2 on March 23rd at Finley Stadium. I think his importance can be reflected in the fact that the side’s mid-season slump coincided with a period when Ibarra was injured. Without him in the squad they won just one of nine games between late June and late August.

Transitions can be difficult times for soccer clubs. At such times, teams need consistency, leadership, and goals. Ibarra, alongside Alex McGrath, was a key provider of the stability and drive needed at the time, to navigate an exit from a crumbling NISA and into the unknown of MLS Next Pro.

Which brings us to the present. It’s fair to say this season, 2025, has been Ibarra’s least impactful since joining. Through injuries and tactical decisions, many fans have been left frustrated to see the winger relegated to something of a bench warmer. Wing-forward is a very competitive position at the club this season so it’s no wonder that Ibarra might have had less of an impact. Having said that, he’s still played 11 games and provided two goal contributions. But his impact has largely been limited to the bench, as he has clocked just 519 minutes of play across league and cup games.

Those who read my work will know that I’m a big fan if Ibarra. I’ve written before about how I think he’s the most talented attacker in the team, on his day. I think its a shame that he leaves the club without having won any real silverware as his impact and productivity, as well as popularity with Finley’s fans, were probably more deserving of success.

Will he end up on CFC’s Hall of Legends? Unlikely. But he still leaves behind a strong legacy in which he helped lead the club through its recent transition to MLS Next Pro.

He will be missed by the Chattanooga faithful, who will have any number of favorite Ibarra moments in their highlights reel. There was his first ever goal for the club at Gold Star, his dribbling solo effort against Savannah Clovers, that wondergoal against Cincinnati, his second that day, and a chipped beauty against Columbus.

For me though, much like Eric Cantona in 2009’s Looking for Eric, I will pick a pass as the sweetest moment. Against Orlando City in May 2024, Ibarra issued a delicious touch to an onrushing Mehdi Ouamri, after a lovely solo run where he exploited space and sent through the ball at just the right time. A great example that, as well as scoring goals, his factory-like productivity in 2024 was multi-pronged.

So, a salute to a crowd-pleaser, a play-maker, a goal-scorer, and a fan favorite. You feel lucky as a soccer fan when you get to watch players like Jesus Ibarra, and lucky as a journalist when you get to write about them. Good luck, Mr. Ibarra.