SALT LAKE CITY — Real Salt Lake locked up another member of its core on Friday, signing defender Aaron Herrera to a new deal. The club announced that it signed Herrera for four more seasons.

“Aaron has proven himself not only a key part of what we are doing, but a top young player in MLS,” general manager Elliot Fall said in a press release. “We are thrilled to have him committed to RSL for another four years.”

The 22-year-old defender is a product of the RSL Academy and has played two seasons with the Claret and Cobalt. He played 16 games in 2018, starting 14 of those games. In 2018, he played 32 games and started 31, logging 2,768 minutes — good for the most on the team this past season.

“It means a lot to sign with my childhood club. I’m proud to be playing with my teammates, for the coaching staff and for the fans,” Herrera said. “It’s a good time for RSL and I feel like we have some unfinished business. I want to stay here and keep pushing this club to the limits with all the guys that are here and try to take this club to a new level.”

Herrera played in the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup, where the United State advanced to the quarterfinals.

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“Aaron is a very good 1v1 defender and adds consistency. The team voted him Defensive Player of the Year. That speaks for itself,” head coach Freddy Juarez said. “We’re always happy with a player that can provide that at a young age. He’s shown a lot of maturity and quality over the last two years, and he helps steady our back line. He has a very high ceiling and we’re going to continue working with him to help him grow.”

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