Andres Herrera has joined the Columbus Crew, the club announced Tuesday. The right-back arrives on a one-year loan contract, but Crew can acquire the defender if they choose to by the end of next summer.

The 25-year-old Argentine wingback comes from River Plate, where he played from February 2022 to July 2024 and made 80 appearances during his tenure. Since being relegated by River Plate’s previous coach, Martin Demichelis, the club gave permission to Herrera’s agent to look for a new club.

He won three titles in two years at River Plate, alternating between being a substitute and clinching a place in the starting XI.

Who is Andres Herrera?

Herrera began his career as one of the brightest wingback prospects in Argentina in 2018 at San Lorenzo de Almagro. At the age of 20, Claudio Biaggio, San Lorenzo’s coach, promoted Herrera to the professional team. His high-level performance in training sessions allowed him to get playing time, and eventually, become a starting player.

Herrera registered 62 appearances, five goals, and four assistances before moving to River Plate in 2022.

He was transferred to the biggest club in Argentina for $2.5 million and signed a contract until December 2025.

International experience

Herrera’s good form in his first season at San Lorenzo earned him a spot in the U23 national team in 2019 and 2020.

In 2019, Herrera was selected in the final list to represent the Argentine Olympic team in the Juegos Panamericanos, where he became a key player to earn the first gold medal in this tournament after 16 years of drought. He also won the Preolimpicos Sudamericanos in 2020 with the Argentine Olympic team.

Moreover, the defender registers a wide experience in international appearances with both clubs, as he played nine international games at Copa Libertadores for San Lorenzo and 14 games at Copa Libertadores with River Plate.

Playing style

Herrera is a wingback who could easily become a winger, as his strength remains in creating great attacking plays. His best qualities are looking to get into the final third with overlapping runs to cross it precisely to the striker and his wonderful stamina to get back quickly in a defensive position.

However, an aspect to improve with Wilfried Nancy is his lack of attention to detail while in defense, which is a contributing factor to him getting passed over during his time at River Plate.

Herrera’s contribution to the team could be heavily favored by Cucho Hernandez’ style, as both players complement one another. Hernandez is a striker with quick feet and can position himself wisely in the path of Herrera’s crossed balls.

After a whole summer preseason break with the team, we will see how the Argentine defender gets used to Nancy’s playing system in the second half of the MLS calendar.