INDIANAPOLIS – Indy Eleven announced on Monday the club had signed defender Danny Barbir ahead of the 2024 USL Championship season. The transaction is pending league and federation approval.

Barbir joins the Boys in Blue after spending two seasons at fellow USL Championship club Oakland Roots SC. A native of Atlanta, the center back has also spent time in the Championship with Sporting Kansas City II and Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2, as well as clubs in Romania and Germany.

Analysis

After retaining 2023 Championship All-League selection Adrián Diz Pe and experienced center back Callum Chapman-Page previously, Indy has added another strong pillar for its back line in Barbir, who was one of the standouts on an Oakland side that narrowly missed out on the postseason this past campaign.

The 6-foot-4 center back was absent for only two minutes of the past regular season for Oakland, logging 3,058 minutes in 34 starts, and recorded a career-high 219 recoveries and 47 interceptions while winning 53.3 percent of overall duels and 62.9 percent of tackles.

Barbir has made 105 appearances in the Championship across the regular season and playoffs in his career, while also bringing experience from Astra Giurgiu in Romania and Sandhausen in Germany. A former U.S. youth international, this should be a good addition to Indy’s squad for the new campaign.

Current Indy Eleven 2024 Roster

Goalkeepers (1): Yannik Oettl

Defenders (5): Danny Barbir, Younes Boudadi, Callum Chapman-Page, Adrian Diz Pe, Macauley King

Midfielders (3): Jack Blake, Cam Lindley, Aodhan Quinn

Forwards (1): Sebastian Guenzatti