Player Development · Colorado Rapids
Herrington's All-Star Selection Must Become a Rapids Pathway
Lucas Herrington's remarkable debut season validates one young player. Colorado's bigger test is making his rise repeatable.
A recognition earned unusually early
Lucas Herrington was named to the 2026 MLS All-Star team as a coach's selection, a striking achievement for a 19-year-old in his debut Colorado Rapids season. MLS described him as having played nearly every minute for Colorado and noted that he became the youngest MLS and Australian player to start a World Cup match.
Those facts make the honor more than a promotional flourish. Center back is a position where trust is usually rationed, especially for teenagers. Herrington has accumulated responsibility in league play, absorbed the pressure of a World Cup and returned with his reputation enhanced rather than protected by potential.
One prodigy is not yet a development system
Colorado should celebrate the selection without confusing an exceptional player with proof that every part of the pathway works. A development culture is measured by whether the next young defender receives a coherent sequence of training, minutes, feedback and recovery after mistakes—not whether one prospect was too good to hold back.
Herrington's rise can still help the entire organization. Coaches now possess a live example of the physical and psychological demands a young player must meet. Academy prospects can see that first-team trust is possible, while recruiters can define more precisely which traits translate quickly in the Rapids' environment.
Protect growth without shrinking the challenge
The temptation after recognition is to turn a teenager into a symbol and ask him to carry every defensive problem. That would be the wrong lesson. Colorado should keep expanding Herrington's responsibilities while preserving experienced voices around him, managing travel load and treating ordinary dips in form as part of development rather than evidence that the experiment failed.
His film should also become teaching material. The most useful clips will not be highlight tackles. They will show scanning before the pass, communication across the line, recovery after an error and choices under pressure. Those habits are transferable to every young center back in the club.
The honor matters most if somebody follows
An All-Star appearance is a milestone for Herrington, not a finished product. His next standard is consistency when opponents adjust, expectations rise and the novelty of his age disappears. Colorado's responsibility is to help him meet that standard without making him responsible for proving the club's entire youth philosophy alone.
The Rapids have something rare: public evidence that a teenager can earn meaningful trust in a demanding position. The best response is not merely a tribute video. It is a repeatable plan that gives the next prospect a fair chance to build an equally serious career. That requires alignment from academy coaches through the first team, with shared language about readiness and acceptance that young defenders learn in public. Herrington opened the door; Colorado must make sure it remains a working entrance rather than a one-player exception.
2026 season
MLS standings
Eastern Conference
Conference table
| # | Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | Pts | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Nashville SC |
19 | 13 | 4 | 2 | +24 | 43 | W D L W W |
| 2 |  Inter Miami |
19 | 11 | 5 | 3 | +10 | 38 | L D W W W |
| 3 |  New England Revolution |
19 | 9 | 3 | 7 | +4 | 30 | L L D W D |
| 4 |  Chicago Fire |
17 | 9 | 2 | 6 | +9 | 29 | W L L W W |
| 5 |  Charlotte FC |
19 | 8 | 4 | 7 | +4 | 28 | W L W D W |
| 6 |  FC Cincinnati |
19 | 7 | 6 | 6 | +1 | 27 | D W L W W |
| 7 |  New York City FC |
18 | 7 | 5 | 6 | +7 | 26 | D W W L D |
| 8 |  New York Red Bulls |
19 | 7 | 4 | 8 | -11 | 25 | L W L L W |
| 9 |  DC United |
19 | 5 | 9 | 5 | -3 | 24 | D D W D D |
| 10 |  Orlando City |
19 | 6 | 3 | 10 | -17 | 21 | D L W W L |
| 11 |  Columbus Crew |
19 | 5 | 5 | 9 | -4 | 20 | L D W L W |
| 12 |  Toronto FC |
19 | 4 | 8 | 7 | -7 | 20 | W D L D D |
| 13 |  CF Montréal |
19 | 4 | 5 | 10 | -11 | 17 | D D L L D |
| 14 |  Philadelphia Union |
18 | 4 | 4 | 10 | -8 | 16 | W W W L D |
| 15 |  Atlanta United |
19 | 4 | 3 | 12 | -13 | 15 | W L L D L |
Western Conference
Conference table
| # | Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | Pts | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Houston Dynamo |
19 | 11 | 2 | 6 | +4 | 35 | W W W W D |
| 2 |  Vancouver Whitecaps |
17 | 10 | 4 | 3 | +21 | 34 | D D L W L |
| 3 |  Los Angeles FC |
20 | 10 | 4 | 6 | +15 | 34 | L D W W W |
| 4 |  San Jose Earthquakes |
19 | 10 | 3 | 6 | +11 | 33 | L L D L W |
| 5 |  St. Louis City SC |
19 | 8 | 5 | 6 | +2 | 29 | W D W W W |
| 6 |  Real Salt Lake |
18 | 8 | 4 | 6 | +4 | 28 | D D L L D |
| 7 |  FC Dallas |
18 | 7 | 6 | 5 | +7 | 27 | D L D W W |
| 8 |  Colorado Rapids |
19 | 8 | 1 | 10 | +4 | 25 | W W L W L |
| 9 |  Minnesota United |
19 | 6 | 7 | 6 | -5 | 25 | D D D L D |
| 10 |  Portland Timbers |
18 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 24 | W W D W L |
| 11 |  Seattle Sounders |
17 | 7 | 3 | 7 | -2 | 24 | L L L L L |
| 12 |  San Diego FC |
19 | 6 | 6 | 7 | +4 | 24 | W D W L L |
| 13 |  LA Galaxy |
20 | 5 | 7 | 8 | -6 | 22 | L D D L L |
| 14 |  Austin FC |
18 | 4 | 5 | 9 | -14 | 17 | L L W L L |
| 15 |  Sporting Kansas City |
19 | 4 | 2 | 13 | -30 | 14 | L L L W L |
