One of the world’s top teenage center backs plays in MLS for the Colorado Rapids and is at the World Cup with the Australian national team. If you don’t know Lucas Herrington’s name yet, well, you will soon.The 18-year-old is hoping for his World Cup debut against the United States on Friday (3 p.m. ET) in a top-of-the-group clash. Some expected him to start in Australia’s opening match win over Turkey. Whether he plays or not on Friday, Herrington is a player with a bright future.How bright? Barcelona has already had an opening bid rejected by Colorado for Herrington, sources briefed on the situation tell The Athletic. The bid did not reach the Rapids’ valuation of the player and the club is in no rush to move him on, nor are negotiations active at this moment, sources add.Herrington has established himself as one of the world’s best young center backs since moving to Colorado officially this winter, after the American club agreed to a deal long before his 18th birthday to anticipate European clubs wanting to sign him from his boyhood club Brisbane Roar. The Rapids could have transferred him to Europe for a profit between the time he signed and debuted, sources say.
“He is an exceptionally talented young man with the world at his feet,” Rapids president Pádraig Smith told Yahoo! Sports. “When our scouts identified him, and we began the recruitment process, we knew he had a high ceiling.”Colorado Rapids defender Lucas Herrington is eyeing a World Cup debut with Australia (Christopher Hanewinckel / Imagn Images)The Rapids have become one of the better clubs in MLS at developing young players and moving them on. They recently did so with Canadian international center back Moise Bombito, who was transferred to Nice in France for an initial $7.7 million fee, plus add-ons and a sell-on clause. That was an MLS-record fee for a center back, and it’s reasonable to expect that Herrington will set a new record, given he is younger than Bombito was (24) when he was sold.It’s not only Barcelona watching Herrington. Liverpool sent scouts this season, sources say. There will be more tracking him at the highest levels, as his physical traits can easily be translated to the Premier League in the future.“He’s super composed,” teammate and former Premier League center back Rob Holding said this season. “Super relaxed, on the ball, under pressure. He’s a really good player. He just keeps getting better and better each week.”Herrington is fourth in MLS in clearances, sixth in shots blocked and 21st in aerials won. He plays in a front-footed system which requires him to defend in space as well as initiate possession sequences via passing and, sometimes, dribbling.He has all the tools to become a top-level center back in Europe, and it may not be long before he’s headed there — especially if he’s given the chance and takes it on the World Cup stage.Jun 19, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms
