As the ball buzzes around the field, bodies clash into each other as Real Salt Lake players fight for positioning and roster spots.
Amidst them all, one player scurries in and out of the rest like a squirrel through the trees. As the masses break, the smallest of the bunch emerges with the ball sticking to his foot like it was affixed with Velcro.
He may be small in stature, but Jose Hernandez can stand his ground in the physical training sessions RSL has gone through in the first week of training camp in Casa Grande, Arizona. It’s just another step in his continued development as the former USSDA West Region Player of the Year, 2015 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and 2016 Pac-12 Co-Player of the Year embarks on his professional career.
At just 20 years old and listed generously at 5-foot-5, Hernandez has the odds stacked against him in his first professional training camp after he signed as a Homegrown player with Real Salt Lake over the winter. However, after a decorated two seasons at UCLA convinced the RSL Academy product that he was ready to make the jump to the professional ranks.
“I had to ask myself, ‘If you stay here, how much better will your game get?’ Everywhere you go, you want to get a little bit better,” Hernandez said. “So starting with the academy I think I went there and had people and coaches around me who pushed me and believed in me. Then going into college you want to elevate your game even more because the ultimate goal is to become a professional soccer player.”
Born in Mexico City, Hernandez moved to Arizona when he was young and developed in the desert sun until joining Real Salt Lake’s Academy in Casa Grande. There he was part of a National Championship team at the U-16 level in 2013 and reached the national final twice more in 2014 and 2015. In the 2015 season, he scored 25 goals on a team that smashed several USSDA scoring records and was named the top player in the West.
From a highly-touted youth system, he moved to UCLA, one of the top college soccer programs in the country. There, the expectations remained high and with six players who have since been drafted or signed professional contracts in the 2016 season alone, the talent level was high, bringing out the best of the team in practices and in games.
That environment boosted his confidence that he would be ready to compete at the pro level. Knowing that he would be joining a team that already had six other players from the RSL Academy system assured him that he wouldn’t be an outcast even in a locker room full of veterans, as RSL’s is.
“Knowing everyone else has gone through it and they understand the process, it reassures you that it can be done. And it’s very welcoming at the same time,” Hernandez said. “It feels like coming home.”
Primarily an attacking midfielder, Hernandez will have to compete with established professionals, including newly-signed Designated Player Albert Rusnák who himself is just 22 years old, in order to make his mark with Real Salt Lake this season. However, he is realistic about his plans for his first season in MLS. And with a young base that includes 10 players that are 23 years old or younger, he’s not alone.
“I think the expectation is just to develop as much as possible and try to make an impact,” he said. “For us young guys, that’s always the goal – to get better and provide as much as you can.”
