Lucas Herrington would have been happy getting a few minutes with the Colorado Rapids in his first season in the United States. Instead, he’s World Cup-bound with the Australian Men’s National Team.
The Socceroos announced their on Sunday, and Herrington was included as the only teenager in the squad at 18 years old. He became the only Rapids player to be called to a World Cup ahead of Monday’s deadline for participating countries to make their final selections.
Herrington signed a pre-contract to the Rapids in the middle of the 2025 MLS season and joined during the offseason. Expectations at the time were that he would come in as another patented Rapids center back prospect — tall, good in the air and with the ball — but he has already smashed any mark he or the club could have imagined in such a short time.
He’s started all 15 MLS matches this season for Colorado and has played every minute. His accolades include a goal in his Dick’s Sporting Goods Park debut against the Portland Timbers, three MLS Team of the Matchday nods and his first callups to Australia’s senior team. The latest was for a friendly against Mexico on Saturday, in which he started and played 89 minutes. Australia lost, 1-0.
The Aussie’s professional journey started for his hometown club, the Brisbane Roar, in the Australian A-League as a 17-year-old in the 2024-25 season. He appeared in 11 games (10 starts) and earned the club’s Young Player of the Year award before departing for the Rapids.
For Colorado, he’s become a mainstay and crowd favorite out of the back. Making a name for himself for his calm and commitment to decisions, he routinely makes jaw-dropping tackles and is typically first to head clearances.
In the analytics department, his real impact is made with the ball. According to American Soccer Analysis, he’s a top-10 passer and top-2 dribbler among MLS center backs in terms of goals added, which measures a player’s total on-ball contribution.
For the World Cup, Australia is in Group D with the host U.S., Turkiye and Paraguay. The Socceroos have one more friendly against Switzerland on Saturday before opening their World Cup group stage against Turkiye on June 13. They’ll face the hosts on June 19.
It will mark the country’s sixth-straight and seventh overall foray at the World Cup. They’ve made it past the group stage on two occasions, but have never won a knockout game.
