Waibel was born in Portland, Oregon, and spent several years in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, before his family moved to Spokane, Washington.

[2] Waibel played for four years with the Washington Huskies and captained them for two seasons as the team made consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.

[1] He scored his first collegiate goal from a penalty kick in a 1998 Nike Classic match against the Wisconsin Badgers, which the Huskies won 5–1.

[3] In 1996, Waibel was injured playing for the Spokane Shadow in the USISL Premier League, forcing him to miss his junior college season.

He earned a brief call up to the Colorado Rapids in the early part of the 2000 season, but played 27 matches for the Sounders, scoring three goals.

Waibel became a fan-favorite player for the Houston Dynamo[1] also starting the 'Waibel's Warriors' charity group to benefit local foundations.

[10] On April 1, 2021, Seattle Sounders FC announced their hiring of Waibel as sporting director, working alongside former Real Salt Lake general manager Garth Lagerwey.