RailHawks Add Maltese International

Official Press Release

RailHawks add Maltese international Barbara

CARY, N.C. (Feb. 25, 2010) - The Carolina RailHawks have signed forward Etienne Barbara, a 10-year veteran of the Maltese Premier League.

Barbara will provide additional firepower to a Carolina attack that in 2009 scored a club-record 43 goals, was shut out only seven times and was third in the league in shots taken and goals scored.

Barbara, 27, is currently playing for Hibernians, for whom he has appeared in 18 matches this season and scored four goals, in his native Malta. He will remain with the Hibs until late March.

“It never passed through my mind to play in America or that an opportunity could arise there,” Barbara said. “I couldn’t actually believe it until I met coach Martin [Rennie] when he came to Malta. He immediately had that professional approach and he was serious about it. Then the offer started to look attractive. I had opportunities to go to play in Europe, but America is a place that I’ve never been to and the professional setup and training facilities as Martin described them kept popping in my mind as a good challenge to look for. There are many teams and places where you can play football, but the right setup and facilities and having a good coach to help you develop your game is most important. So I’m looking forward to it.”

Barbara made his professional debut in 1999 with Floriana and remained with that club until 2003. There, he appeared in 74 matches and scored eight goals. During the January 2003 transfer window, he moved to the newly promoted Marsaxlokk, for whom he scored 21 goals in 43 appearances. In 2005, he moved to Birkirkara, where he scored 31 goals in 59 matches over two seasons. Barbara moved on to Sliema Wanderers in 2007, where he scored eight goals in 23 matches.

He then went to Germany’s SC Verl, where he made 18 appearances and logged 1,117 minutes but did not score a goal. After a trial with Sheffield Wednesday in England, Barbara returned to Malta and signed with Hibernians, the reigning league champion, last summer.

Barbara also has extensive international experience. He has been capped 30 times by the Malta National Team and has scored three goals in international play. He made his debut during a qualifying match at Israel for Euro 2004, and he scored his first two goals in a Feb. 2004 match against Estonia that ended a 2-2 draw. He scored his third goal in a 1-1 draw against Bulgaria in a 2006 World Cup qualifying match.

“Etienne’s played at a high level with the Maltese National Team, played against some of the best players in the world,” said RailHawks coach Martin Rennie. “He was a player I didn’t know too much about until a few months ago. I saw his videos and I was real impressed, and I spoke to some people who also told me, This guy is really, really good. I made the decision to go watch him play, and I was blown away by what he did. I’m hoping that will translate to our league, and I believe it will. He’s got pace, power and he can finish and he’s just an all-around player. He’ll add a lot to our squad.”