Houston Dynamo announced Tuesday morning the signing of former Academy defender Sebastien Ibeagha. The US youth international made a name for himself as one of the top defenders in his class before graduating in 2010. However, instead of signing with a rebuilding Dynamo, he went to Duke University to continue his development while getting one of the best educations in the country. Throughout his tenure, the team kept close tabs on him. There was a standing offer for him to leave Duke at any point to join the team. He politely declined each time the team asked over the years.
During his tenure at Duke, Ibeagha made 70 appearances over four seasons, earning Atlantic Coast Conference Defender of the Year in 2012 as well as being named to the conference first team in 2012 and 2013. He was also named a third team NSCAA All American. Then Coach Dominic Kinnear made one last push for the defender but he instead opted to try his fortunes in Europe.
It wasn't long before he found a spot with Danish side AC Horsens in January of 2014. During his two seasons with the club, he also went on loan to FC Fredericia (Denmark) and Fram Reykjavik (Iceland). While in Europe, and at Duke, he developed into the classic bruising defender but with an intelligence that made him excel in defense.
In 2014, Ibeagha gave an interview to Clutch City Soccer where he elaborated on his decision to stick with Duke instead of going pro early. "The main reason I didn’t sign was due to the fact that my parents are huge on education. That’s all it was and once I was done with college it was a collective decision between myself and my agent to come here [Denmark] and try my luck." Despite being based in Denmark, Ibeagha kept tabs on his hometown team and could even be spotted in Houston during breaks in the season.
After the Dynamo failed to make the playoffs last season, they invited Ibeagha to train with them during the post season. It was during the closing sessions that General Manager Matt Jordan and Head Coach Owen Coyle got a real long look at how he had progressed in Europe. After impressing it came down to working out a contract during the winter. Ibeagha joins a crowded defense where he will have stiff competition to earn playing time for the team. Incumbents Raul Rodriguez and David Horst will be looking to retain their spots while Ibeagha will be competing against Jalil Anibaba, fellow Academy product Bradley Bourgeois as well as Agus (set to sign sometime this week). Ivan Magalhaes, selected in the 2016 SuperDraft, is also looking to earn a contract with the team, though he is likely to be sent down to Rio Grande Valley if he signs.