SANDY, Utah (Monday, July 31, 2017) – Real Salt Lake MF Jose Hernandez was added earlier today to Major League Soccer’s Homegrown Team by coaches Brian McBride and Mike Magee for the 2017 MLS Homegrown Game presented by Energizer®. The RSL rookie – one of eight homegrown players on Head Coach Mike Petke’s Utah side – joins RSL teammates DF Justen Glad and FW Brooks Lennon among 18 of the league's most accomplished young stars face the Chivas de Guadalajara Under-20 Team in the fourth annual MLS Homegrown Game presented by Energizer® on Tuesday, August 1 at 6 p.m. MT at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois.
"We are extremely proud that Jose has received this recognition, alongside Brooks and Justen, as their selection is a testament to the work all three have put in to arrive at this point in their careers," RSL General Manager Craig Waibel said. "Our youth development is a point of pride in the organization and to continue to have players earn spots in games like this is confirmation in that emphasis."
Hernandez has appeared in seven RSL contests this season, his first in MLS. The Phoenix, Arizona resident, now 21, signed with RSL in December after completing his sophomore NCAA campaign at UCLA, earning Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors in 2015 and being named the 2016 Pac-12 Co-Player of the Year. Hernandez also earned an All-America third-team nod this season, recording five goals and six assists in 20 games for the Bruins, following 11 goals and four assists in 2015, a year that also saw the Mexico City native make two appearances for the Real Monarchs in their inaugural USL season.
Prior to his time at UCLA, the 5-foot-5 Hernandez – born in Mexico City – played for the RSL-Arizona academy, scoring 25 goals and earning US Soccer Development Academy U-18 West Conference Player of the Year honors in the 2014-15 season.
This will be Glad's third appearance in the Homegrown Game and the first appearance for MLS newcomer Lennon. Both players also represented the U.S. U-20 National Team in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in South Korea, where the U.S. reached the quarterfinals.
In seven matches this season, Glad has been integral to RSL's success, especially in its unbeaten July. The 20-year-old center back missed the first two months of the season after suffering an injury in the CONCACAF U-20 Championships in March, helping the U.S. to its first ever title in the tournament. Lennon, 19, has one goal and one assist in 14 matches, 11 of them starts, in his first season with RSL while on loan from Liverpool in England.
RSL joins the New York Red Bulls as MLS sides to contribute three players on the Homegrown Team.
The MLS Homegrown Game will feature some of the most talented young players in North America, as the Homegrown Team will take on famed U-20 side Chivas de Guadalajara, the defending Liga MX U-20 champions, which features a roster with five players who represented Mexico at the U-20 World Cup. Several of the players have also received time with the Chivas reserve team along with the first team side that captured its record 12th Liga MX title in May.
The MLS Homegrown Game provides an annual platform in which to showcase MLS' burgeoning young talent and demonstrate the growth of the league's youth development system. MLS academies continue to attract and cultivate topflight prospects and have now produced over 170 Homegrown Players who have signed professional contracts with MLS clubs.
MLS Homegrown Players aged 22 or under were available for selection.
As part of a week of festivities surrounding the MLS All-Star Game presented by Target, Toyota Park will host a full day of events on August 1 beginning with the adidas ESP game at 1:30 p.m. MT. In addition, MLS WORKS and ESPN will be hosting the Special Olympics Unified Sports All-Star soccer match immediately prior to the MLS Homegrown Game.
2017 MLS Homegrown Team Roster
Goalkeepers: Jesse Gonzalez (FC Dallas), Evan Louro (New York Red Bulls)
Defenders: Kortne Ford (Colorado Rapids), Justen Glad (Real Salt Lake), Erik Palmer-Brown (Sporting Kansas City), Auston Trusty (Philadelphia Union)
Midfielders: Tyler Adams (New York Red Bulls), Derrick Etienne Jr. (New York Red Bulls), Chris Goslin (Atlanta United), Jose Hernandez (Real Salt Lake), Derrick Jones (Philadelphia Union), Djordje Mihailovic (Chicago Fire), Paxton Pomykal (FC Dallas)
Forwards: Andrew Carleton (Atlanta United), Jesus Ferreira (FC Dallas), Jordan Hamilton (Toronto FC), Bradford Jamieson IV (LA Galaxy), Brooks Lennon (Real Salt Lake)
