International Lobo
Las Cruces native Herrera relishes his U20 World Cup experience
LAS CRUCES — It’s a rare occurrence if you can map out your career path at 15 years old.
But that’s what Aaron Herrera has done.
The UNM Lobo junior returned from South Korea after playing for the United States team in the Under-20 World Cup earlier this month.
Herrera left his hometown of Las Cruces at 15 as a Mayfield High School freshman to pursue a pro soccer career with the Real Salt Lake Academy in Casa Grande, Ariz. The move has more than paid off for Herrera, 20.
“It was my first time being away from home,” Herrera said. “At the beginning it was hard, but I knew it was always what I wanted to do.
“It’s kind of relieving, but I know I’m not as close as I want to be. But, the path that I have created for myself is a little easier than a lot of other players around the country. It’s good knowing that everything is kind of paying off.”
He has played in two major international youth tournaments.
“It’s something that a lot of players would dream of doing in their career so being part of the 21 or 22 guys that were able to go, it was unreal,” Herrera said. “It was just eye-opening to be able to go to these different countries and play against some of the best competition in the world. It was a valuable experience for me and my teammates as well.”
Herrera started at right back for Team USA as it won once with two draws to top its pool. He picked up yellow cards in back-to-back games in pool play and was not eligible to play in the team’s 6-0 Round of 16 victory over New Zealand.
Herrera did not play in a 2-1 quarterfinal loss to Venezuela but the yellow cards didn’t dampen his overall experience.
“It was a good showing,” Herrera said. “We were able to do what the last team did and make it to the quarterfinals. Venezuela is a good team as well. We wanted more but we felt like it was a good showing.”
Herrera got his first international experience at 17 years old. He was on the U20 team that won the CONCACAF title in March. The U.S. beat Honduras for its first CONACAF title, but also beat rival Mexico dur-
ing qualification the first time in 31 years.
Herrera’s father, Diego, moved to the United States from Guatemala. He moved to Las Cruces in 1993 and became a U.S. citizen in 2000. He turned in his soccer boots and became a New Mexico state police officer in 2000, where he served for 13 years before spending the last two years as a deputy with the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Department.
Herrera’s mother, Donni, is a New Mexico State police detective.
Diego Herrera taught his son the game at an early age, coaching with the Strikers Football Club until Aaron attended a tryout for Real Salt Lake Academy when he was 15.
“It (playing the World Cup) is a dream come true and something that I always wanted to do, especially coming from a small town,” Diego Herrera said. “For him to do that now is just amazing.”
Aaron Herrera spent three years at the Academy, earning his high school diploma at Casa Grande High School along the way.
The exposure led to scholarship offers from UNM and Georgetown, but it wasn’t cheap at first as an Academy spot will cost a family around $3,500 per year, Diego Herrera said.
“UNM is an amazing soccer program with one of the best facilities in the country,” Diego Herrera said. “It was closer to home, so it wasn’t too hard of a decision.”
Herrera’s path to highprofile international tournaments and professional soccer via Major League Soccer academy clubs is commonplace.
“The way it used to be, you would play with a club team and travel to tournaments but it was very difficult to get to the MLS without going to college,” said Freddy Juarez, a 1997 Oñate High School graduate who was a Real Salt Lake Academy staffer and is now a first-year assistant with the top club. “The MLS started investing in academies that opened another route. Development took preference over hours spent playing in tournaments.”
Herrera was one of five Real Salt Lake Academy alumni on the U20 World Cup team and the only one who hasn’t signed a pro contract with the first team. But that is very much a possibility in the near future.
“He has been on our radar and he just needs to stay healthy and keep developing,” Juarez said. “It’s not easy, but Diego did some of that when he was a young player so he understood some of the sacrifices.”