Aaron Herrera finished his first season with the UNM men’s soccer team with a total of 1,332 minutes played after making 15 appearances, including 14 starts.
But that is only a small part of the freshman defender’s resume, which he began to build quite early.
“I started playing soccer when I was three or four years old because both of my parents are soccer players,” Herrera said.
By the age of 12, Herrera said he knew he wanted soccer to be more than just a hobby.
“Professional is definitely the goal. (Playing in) MLS would be cool, or even overseas would be pretty awesome,” he said.
Becoming a professional athlete is not something easy to accomplish, but Herrera might be on the right track.
The Las Cruces native spent three years at the MLS Real Salt Lake’s Academy. Last March, at 17 years old, he scored with a bicycle kick from 30 yards away for the RSL U-18 team during a 9-0 shutout over Arsenal FC.
Herrera accomplished a hat trick by the end of the match, but it was the video of his overhead kick that got him a No. 3 spot on SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays.
Herrera also has experience playing at a national level. In October 2014, he was selected by head coach Javier Perez to be part of a 36-man roster for a U-18 U.S. National Team training camp in Carson, California.
A year later, Herrera was one of 21 players that represented the US U-20 team at the Four Nation’s Tournament in Germany. The team competed against Germany, Scotland and Mexico.
Herrera said this trip was one of the most exciting things he’s gotten to do so far.
“We played against the Germany national team and a lot of guys who were already pro. So the experience was really cool,” he said.
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But things haven’t slowed down for him.
Earlier this month, Herrera was called up to the US U-20 national team camp in Miami. He was one of 36 players selected by head coach Tab Ramos. Those 36 players will try to qualify for the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup in South Korea.
Herrera said one of the best parts about the camp was working with Ramos, because he has a lot of experience at the professional level. Ramos was part of the US World Cup Team three times: 1990, 1994 and 1998. His success earned him a spot in the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2005. He currently serves as assistant coach for the US Men’s National Soccer Team.
“He is a really good coach,” Herrera said.
Although he’s gotten the opportunity to pursue his dream, Herrera says he’s also had to make some tough sacrifices.
“Leaving home is definitely the hardest part,” he said. “Being away from home 11 months out of the year is not easy. And of course, you don’t get to hang out with your friends and your family as much as you’d like.”
But even though things are not always easy, Herrera said his father taught him about always working hard and not giving up.
Throughout the years Herrera says he’s learned a lot, but that perhaps the biggest thing so far is leadership.
“Leading by example is definitely important. If you are a good leader it’s easier for people to listen to you.”
Isabel Gonzalez is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @cisabelg.
