Pawtucket, RI (Dec. 14, 2023) – Rhode Island FC, the Ocean State’s new professional men’s soccer team, announced today that USL Championship midfielder Marc Ybarra will join the club’s growing roster. Ybarra played in over 65 matches across two seasons for 2023 USL Championship Players’ Shield winning Pittsburgh Riverhounds, including appearing in all 34 league matches for the Riverhounds in 2023.
The Players’ Shield is awarded to the team with the best record at the end of the USL Championship regular season.
“With preseason just around the corner, I am excited that the talent on our roster continues to grow. Marc has proven throughout his career that he has a great team first mentality and is an outstanding community member. He will bring a high level of commitment to our team that our fans will respond to,” said Khano Smith, head coach and general manager of Rhode Island FC.
Ybarra holds multiple soccer records at the University of Michigan, including games played, starts and total minutes on the pitch. Ybarra is also second in all-time assists for the Wolverines.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to continue my USL career with Rhode Island FC. I look forward to working alongside my teammates to make an impact from our first game and can’t wait for preseason to start,” said Marc Ybarra, Rhode Island FC.
Rhode Island FC will make its USL Championship debut in early March 2024 and will play its home matches during its inaugural season at Beirne Stadium at Bryant University while the state-of-the-art stadium at Tidewater Landing is completed. Like all transactions in the USL Championship, Ybarra’s signing will be finalized pending league and federation approval.