Men’s soccer captain Armando Ibarra Jr. holds himself to high standards during his final season to get Cerritos College a championship.
Armando is a sophomore forward/midfielder for the men’s soccer team, and in his first year with the team in 2019, he was named 2nd Team All-South Coast Conference.
He started playing soccer at the age of five when his dad wanted to get him into sports.
Armando says, “My dad was the one that got me into soccer. I was very shy when I was little, and he thought putting me into soccer would improve my social skills.”
He would go on to play for academy teams such as OC Revolution, Pateadores, Los Angeles Futbol Academy and Golden State Academy.
In his time at Downey High School, Armando was a two-time all-league selection and helped his school go to the semifinals as a sophomore.
The biggest motivators that he has are his parents that have supported him throughout his life.
Armando goes on to say, “I think of them because they’re the ones that got me into soccer and the ones motivating me to keep going supporting me through this journey that I’m still hopefully trying to achieve.”
“God has helped me through this journey which I’m very grateful for and I’m very grateful for as well my past coaches and trainers,” Armando adds.
Since then he has developed a strong work ethic that he holds himself accountable as a player and captain.
He starts himself at a pace that will not tire him out before he plays in a competitive game. Even with his diet, he never eats any junk food during the season as he feels that he cheats himself.
“I focus on my health. I make sure during the weekend I do recover with my personal trainer. I do ice baths and I stretch a lot just to get my body back into rhythm.”
During the season he was chosen to wear number nine for the team, and be named captain for the 2021 season.
He tries to learn from what former captain, Kevin Diaz, taught him to be a good leader for the team.
“I’m trying to be a role model to these players the way my captain was a role model to me. But at the end of the day, I’m not going to shy away from that position.”
With Armando’s season coming to an end, his goal for his team is not just to win a championship, but to be as one.
“I hope to accomplish getting a ring, that’s the main objective. But I’m looking to build a family with this year’s team. There’s nothing more important than family and I think that we have the players and the mindset to build that family and go for this.”
Armando’s goal for when his tenure is over at Cerritos is to transfer to any D1 school to play soccer. Then to strive towards his dream to play professional soccer in the MLS.
