ST. PAUL, Minn. - Former Missouri State forward Jesus Barea made his Major League Soccer debut for Real Salt Lake at Allianz Field on Saturday.

Barea wore No. 36 and played the entire second half of the match in the 2-0 loss against Minnesota United FC. He put up a team-high four shots in his 45 minutes of action, including two left-footed shots on target in the 63rd and 66th minutes. 

Barea was drafted in the first round with the 19th overall pick by Real Salt Lake in December's MLS SuperDraft, making him the fifth Missouri State player to be drafted into MLS and the first Bear to be selected in the first round. His 19th overall selection is tied with Matt Pickens (Round 2 - Chicago) for the highest pick in program history.

In 2024, Barea scored a career-high 15 goals while playing all 18 matches for Missouri State. His 15 scores were tied for fourth at the Division I level in 2024 and tied for the second-most in Bears single-season history. In his last season at Missouri State, Barea was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-America first team and was a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist. He became the first Missouri State player to win multiple Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year awards (2022, 2024). He was also named the league's Forward of the Year in 2024.

Barea's opportunity in MLS comes after a historic five-year career in Springfield. He is tied for second in program history in goals (34), third in points (87) and tied for sixth in assists (19). He is the program's all-time leader in shots (261), including 81 shot attempts in 2024, which is the third-most by a Bear in a single season. He is also second in career starts (85) and tied for fifth in game-winning goals (10).

During Barea's stint at Missouri State, the Bears went a combined 65-14-9 and won four Missouri Valley Conference regular season championships and three MVC Tournament Championships. Missouri State made the NCAA Tournament in each of Barea's years and made it to the Sweet 16 his freshman year. Missouri State has made the last six NCAA DI Tournaments, one of only seven teams to do so.

Barea made his professional debut in MLS Next Pro with the Real Monarchs on March 23 at Zions Banks Stadium. He played 23 minutes in the 2-2 draw and helped the Monarchs win a 7-6 penalty shootout by scoring the team's fourth penalty shootout goal.

Real Salt Lake (2-4-0, 6 pts) will host LA Galaxy (0-2-4, 2 pts) at America First Field on Saturday, April 5 at 3:30 p.m. CT.