Zak Ibsen


Zak Ibsen '' is an American retired soccer player who played professionally in Major League Soccer and the National Professional Soccer League and internationally for both the U.S. national and beach soccer team|beach soccer] teams.

Early life

Zak Ibsen was born in Santa Clara, California. He developed a passion for soccer at a young age.

Career

College

Ibsen played college soccer at UCLA. He helped lead the Bruins to an NCAA National Championship in 1990.

National

Ibsen was a member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic team and the U.S. National Team.

NPSL

Ibsen played in Germany and the National Professional Soccer League for the Baltimore Spirit as a midfielder before he was traded to the Tampa Bay Terror on January 17, 1996, in exchange for John Garvey.

MLS

He then joined Major League Soccer in 1996. Selected by New England in the 1996 MLS Supplemental Draft, he also later played for Dallas, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Jose. He won MLS titles with the Chicago Fire in 1998 and the San Jose Earthquakes in 2001. During his MLS career, Ibsen played 140 games, scored 6 goals, and had 10 assists. His most notable assist came during MLS Cup 2001, in which he assisted Dwayne De Rosario's game-winning goal for the Earthquakes.

Beach

Zak Ibsen had a long involvement in beach soccer, beginning with the pre-FIFA era of the sport. He represented the United States in the Beach Soccer World Championships organized by Beach Soccer Worldwide prior to FIFA’s official adoption of the tournament in 2005. During these early competitions, Ibsen recorded 17 goal contributions, placing him among the top scorers in the tournament's history.
Following FIFA’s takeover, Ibsen continued to play for the United States national beach soccer team from 2006 to 2010, earning 22 caps and scoring 9 goals in official FIFA-sanctioned matches. He competed in the FIFA [Beach Soccer World Cup]s in 2006 and 2007, scoring two goals in the 2007 edition, including the match-winner against Iran.
He was part of the U.S. squads that won the CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championships in 2006 and 2007, while finishing third in 2008 and 2010 and fourth in 2009.
Ibsen also took part in the Beach Soccer Worldwide Miami Cup in 2011.

Coaching

After earning his U.S. Soccer “A” License, one of the highest levels of coaching certification in the United States, Zak Ibsen became Director of Coaching at Woodside Soccer Club: WSC Crush. He has also coached in MLS Next, a youth soccer league in the U.S.

Personal life

His professional soccer career ended due to a crystal meth addiction which left him homeless living in a minivan for years. He struggled with relapse cycles for over a decade, however he eventually recovered.