Miguel Ibarra looked at his ringing iPhone and thought about not answering the call because it was from a random number.

It wasn’t a telemarketer trying to reach the Minnesota United FC midfielder; it was just the most important man in U.S. soccer.

So, when Ibarra gave in to the urging of teammate Christian Ramirez to answer the call, he heard how the trajectory of his career has shifted skyward.

” ‘Hey, Miguel, it’s Jurgen,’ ” Ibarra recalled the first words he heard. “I thought it was a prank or something.”

This wasn’t a joke. U.S. men’s national team coach and technical director Jurgen Klinsmann was calling in September to invite Ibarra to train with the best team in the country.

Ibarra was incredulous. His career had mostly been off the radar, including two years at a California community college and being cut by the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer in 2012.

But he has blossomed in three seasons with United of the North American Soccer League, getting the attention of the national team. With the call-up, Ibarra became the first player in nine years to come from a club in a lower-level North American league.

Earlier this month, he practiced with the U.S. team that reached the round of 16 at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Last Tuesday, he played in a U.S. international friendly match with Honduras.

“A dream come true,” Ibarra said.

FIRST OF MANY CALLS

Before Ibarra got the surprise honor of playing with the national team, United gave their prized midfielder a multi-year contract extension and a raise this summer.

United doesn’t disclose contract details, but club president Nick Rogers said, “I think Miguel will be here for a good long while.”

Klinsmann’s telephone call likely will be the first of many regarding Ibarra. Clubs in MLS and elsewhere could inquire about acquiring the 5-foot-7 speedster when a “transfer window” — a period when transactions can occur — opens this winter.

“Look, the national team call-up has certainly gotten Miguel a lot more attention, but we already knew this about Miguel,” Rogers said. “We’ve been excited about Miguel for a long time. People in soccer frankly have known about Miguel.”

Ibarra said his future is not on his mind; the present is. The Loons are a first-place club eyeing a NASL championship in November.

“Whatever happens in the future, (other clubs) would have to go through United and talk to them,” Ibarra said. “Right now, I’m focused on a championship.”

Orlando City, which is preparing for a move from the third-tier USL PRO to MLS in 2015, is believed to be targeting Ibarra, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Clyde Simms, the last player to go to the national team from a lower-level North American league in 2005, went on to play nine seasons in MLS.

Keeping Ibarra in Minnesota is important in the broader context of the club. United owner Bill McGuire, along with Twins owner Jim Pohlad and Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor, met with MLS officials in September to discuss a possible bid for an MLS expansion franchise before 2020, a source told the Pioneer Press.

United officials, however, have declined to comment on an MLS bid.

Regardless of the league, Rogers said Ibarra’s time with the national team shows opportunities can be here and now.

“For us as a club, it sends a pretty clear signal to talent out there that this is a pathway to achieve your goals,” Rogers said.

It’s also clear Ibarraand Ramirez have become the marquee faces of the club. During United’s league match Saturday against the New York Cosmos, some United fans sported the white, No. 9 jersey Ibarra wore with the national team.

Manny Lagos is United’s technical director, a title similar to “general manager” used in other sports. He brought Ibarra to Minnesota in 2012 and said United will listen to possible transactions for Ibarra.

“But I wouldn’t say we are looking to move him on, and I don’t think he’s looking to move right now,” said Lagos, also the club’s coach. “I think reality is that we aren’t a club that wants to sell our players. We want to build great products for our fans and for Minnesotans. We think Miguel is a key piece to that product.”

ORIGINS AND FUTURE

Ibarra, 24, came a long way before he played a short amount as a stoppage-time substitute for the U.S. national team against Honduras last week in Boca Raton, Fla.

Born in Lancaster, Calif., to Mexican parents, he started playing soccer at age 4. After high school, he played two seasons at Taft College north of Los Angeles and then two years at University of California, Irvine.

Ibarra was selected by Portland in the 2012 supplemental draft but was cut in training camp.

Lagos had watched Ibarra at the MLS combine and pounced.

“When I see a young player, and if I think they have potential, I look them in the eye and I tell them, ‘I think you can go to really high levels,’ ” Lagos said. “Miguel was one of those guys.”

Lagos said Ibarra was “a little bit raw” in 2012 but has developed into a profound playmaker.

“He has an ability to bring energy and effort and make other people around him better,” Lagos said. “Then he has an ability to recover and do it again quicker than most players on the field. … His first touch now can beat guys. He can get into spaces that really very few players can do.”

Ibarra was named NASL player of the month in September and has improved his finishing this season with eight goals and five assists in 24 games. He also has been a catalyst on more than a few of Ramirez’s league-leading 19 goals.

Ibarra first blipped on the U.S. radar after national team assistant coach Tab Ramos contacted Lagos about players in the NASL a few months ago. Then scouts analyzed the play of Ibarra and Ramirez. Finally, Klinsmann got involved.

After national team training in Massachusetts and Florida, Klinsmann heaped praise on Ibarra.

“In the beginning, he was a bit nervous, but he calmed down after two or three days, and he was very consistent and very proactive in the way he participated in everything we did in training,” Klinsmann told ussoccer.com.

And he left the door open for Ibarra to train and play with the national team again, maybe even this winter.

“For Miguel, it was a huge step forward,” Klinsmann said. “We told him to take this confidence back to his club team and keep growing. Going forward, I think he has a huge chance to come back into our program.”

Follow Andy Greder at twitter.com/andygreder.