The 18-Year-Old Australian CB Having a Breakout Season in MLS — and Pushing for a World Cup Spot

Colorado Rapids have eradicated many of the unknowns that surrounded them at the start of the season with performances and results that have made them one of the big surprises of the MLS season thus far.

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After missing the play-offs in 2025 and parting ways with head coach Chris Armas, the Rapids have gone on the offensive with a focus on youth in both Armas’ successor, Matt Wells, aged 37, and in how they used the offseason to address a playing squad that finished 11th in the Western Conference.

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Of the eight players signed for transfer fees by Colorado, seven were under the age of 23 and Wells has managed to make his methods effective in wins over Portland Timbers, LA Galaxy, and the 6-2 thumping of Houston Dynamo in Matchday 7 last weekend. Wells, brought to the club from Tottenham Hotspur, where he had served as first team assistant coach, has shown particular faith in the youngest of his signings in the centre of the Rapids defence — Lucas Herrington.

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An 18-year-old Australian untested at the senior level but clearly established in the Socceroos development pathway at Under-18, Under-19, and Under-20 levels, Herrington has played every minute of MLS for Colorado after he arrived from A-League club Brisbane Roar. He has formed a new partnership at the back of Wells’ possession-heavy 4-2-3-1 system alongside experienced defender Rob Holding, but it is young Herrington who commands the longest time spent in possession of any player in the MLS at almost 22 minutes.

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Last month, Herrington made his international debut under Socceroos head coach Tony Popovic in a friendly against Cameroon, a match in which Australia kept a clean sheet with Herrington on the pitch for the full 90 minutes. The promise shown by the teenager so far this year places a great deal of security on the Rapids, tying him down to a contract through to 2029, with a one-year option included. So how does Herrington fare in Gradient Sports’ grading models?

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Passing Grade

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The Rapids are joint with MLS Supporters’ Shield leaders Vancouver as the highest-scoring MLS team with 19 goals, but neither team opt to assert their dominance by winning the physical battle, evidenced by Colorado ranking second in the fewest number of ‘create contest’ pass types (102) behind San Diego (97), and ahead of Vancouver in fourth (120).

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This makes Herrington a key component of their patient build-up, and his 94.9% pass completion rate leads all players at his position in the MLS. His progressive passing is also highly accurate, especially when accounting for the high volume of pass attempts as a player not to have missed a minute this season.

Of the 20 MLS central defenders to attempt a minimum of 40 line-breaking passes, Herrington possesses the third-best completion rate at 91.9%. Though it is worth noting that his 62 attempts are much higher than Rudy Camacho’s 40 (95.0% completion rate) and Iago Teodoro’s 40 (92.5%).

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In addition to Colorado’s low number of ‘create contest’ pass attempts, their style of play can also be highlighted in their low number of ‘ball-over-the-top’ passes. A total number of 65 attempts ranks fourth-fewest in the league (league average = 91.5), and Herrington accounts for just three of these.

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And so to his Passing Grade. Through seven matches in the MLS, seven central defenders have graded at 80.0 or higher in Gradient’s model, with the aforementioned Herrington ranking third overall at 82.4.

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Vancouver’s Ralph Priso leads the way with a grade of 86.2 ahead of Nashville’s Jeison Palacios, 83.3.

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Positioning Grade

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All distribution events collected as part of Gradient’s analysis have the option to positively or negatively grade the positioning of any player on the pitch relative to their responsibility in defensive structure, with the former typically being rarer in frequency and reserved to a player or players who actively spring the offside trap to nullify the opposition team’s attack.

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Negative grades are given much more frequently, and while all eleven positions can be assigned a grade wherever they are located on the pitch, the highest negative value usually falls on defenders, given their responsibility in high-risk areas and therefore a greater propensity to make a mistake or be outskilled by an opponent.

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Herrington’s grade of 82.1 for his positioning ranks tied-14th at his position, and a tally of seven positively-graded events trails only Sean Zawadzki’s nine for the Columbus Crew.

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These are two indicators of a young player already making a mark in MLS at Colorado Rapids and working his way into surprise contention for World Cup selection. Herrington is one player USMNT fans may recognise on Australia’s teamsheet come June 19 when the US face the Socceroos in Group D at this summer’s FIFA World Cup.

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