Fidel Barajas bringing 'field presence' to fill void in RSL attack

HERRIMAN — Diego Luna recently turned 20 and earned his first call-up to the US senior national team. And, just like clockwork, Real Salt Lake already has another young prospect waiting in the wings to follow in his footsteps.

Seventeen-year-old US/Mexico dual citizen Fidel Barajas joined RSL from USL Championship club Charleston Battery on Jan. 11 and is already impressing as the breakout star of early preseason training sessions in Herriman.

"He looks really sharp," veteran defender Andrew Brody said of Barajas. "I've seen him get out of some tight situations with some really good footwork. You can see he's got all the talent in the world. It's gonna take time for him to get used to the MLS level, but with a full preseason under his belt, hopefully, come day one, he'll be ready to go."

RSL lost three key attacking players in the offseason with the departures of Damir Kreilach, Jefferson Savarino and Rubio Rubin. When asked about the losses, head coach Pablo Mastroeni said, "Anytime there's a void, it'll always be filled." And the first name out of his mouth after that was Barajas'.

"There could be a young man in this camp that nobody knows," Mastroeni said. "For example, a player like Fidel Barajas has shown well these last two days. It's just two days, but for a young player to have the type of field presence that he has is really, really exciting."

Barajas has already appeared in 25 matches for the Mexican U-17 national team, scoring eight goals. He had three goals and five assists to lead Mexico to the 2023 CONCACAF U-17 Championship and later played in the FIFA U-17 World Cup with one goal and one assist.

"There's definitely gonna be some tough moments for him, but for me, it's really the field presence," Mastroeni said. "He's always looking for the ball. His technique is very good. He's always looking for the goal too. He's a tireless worker, he's committed, he's got a great demeanor about him as a person, so I'm really excited about the prospects."

The club and Barajas are not shying away from comparisons with Luna — who also moved from the USL to RSL — and the accelerated maturation from going pro as a teenager is apparent when observing and speaking with both.

"With Pablo (Mastroeni's) style of play and everything I feel like I fit in," Barajas said. "I feel like the next couple seasons what they're looking for is something similar to Diego (Luna), trying to sell us to Europe."

Barajas already gained interest from European clubs like PSV and Villareal before signing with RSL, according to The Athletic's Tom Bogert, and the Sacramento native said he still plans on going to Europe after "a couple seasons" in Utah.

"Looking at the history of RSL, they bring a lot of talented youngsters like Axel Kei and (Zavier) Gozo," Barajas said. "I feel like where I want to head to in a couple of years is to go to Europe. Here is a perfect place to make those dreams come true."

Kei and Gozo made their MLS debuts late last season as two of the three youngest players in club history at 15 and 16 years old, respectively. Both have been active participants early in the preseason and figure to earn larger roles this season, but all eyes appear to be on Barajas at the moment.

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