Barbara joined United States USSF Division 2 club Carolina RailHawks on 25 February 2010. He scored two goals in his RailHawks debut on 10 April 2010, in a game against AC St. Louis. Barbara currently holds the record for most goals scored by a Carolina Railhawk in a single season for two consecutive years, scoring eight goals during the 2010 campaign, and breaking his own record with nine goals in the first seven matches of the 2011 campaign. Additionally, he is the clubs' all-time leading scorer. In August 2011, he was voted as offensive player of the month, just days after he scored a brilliant hat-trick. In October 2011, Etienne Barbara won the NASL Golden Ball, the award for the league’s most valuable player. Barbara received all nineteen first place votes cast by media from each NASL market. In his second season with the RailHawks, he scored 20 goals and had eight assists to win the NASL's Golden Boot. He was also named to the NASL Best XI.