SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Sacramento Republic FC announced on Friday the club had signed Colombian forward Sebastian Herrera ahead of the 2023 USL Championship season. He will be added to the club’s roster pending receipt of his P-1 Visa and ITC, and league and federation approval. Per club policy, the terms of the contract were not disclosed. 

Herrera joins Republic FC after 11 professional seasons in his native Colombia, as well as Ecuador, where he featured in the top-flight divisions in both countries and amassed 83 goals in 273 matches played. In 2022, he competed for Colombian side Cortuluá F.C. – his second stint with the club – and notched two goals in eight contests.

The veteran striker made his professional debut in 2012 as an 18-year-old for his hometown side Real Santander (Bucaramanga, Colombia), then in Colombia’s Categoriá Primera B, the nation’s second division. Two stellar seasons to start his career earned him a move to the top flight, where he featured for five seasons between 2014 and 2018, with Alianza Petrolera, Junior FC, Jaguares de Córdoba, and Atlético Huila.

“Sebastian’s signing shows the intent and ambition of our club,” said Republic FC General Manager Todd Dunivant. “We’ve been looking for more goals in the team, and Sebastian brings a strong pedigree of putting the ball in the net. He is a difference-maker that will look to have immediate impact on our attacking group.”

In 2019, his first stint with Cortuluá, the forward enjoyed a breakout campaign, netting 24 goals across 39 matches played and over 3,900 minutes – all career highs. The strong season earned him a contract with Ecuadorian side Macará, where he tallied 11 goals in 30 matches and appeared in one of Latin America’s top competitions – the CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores – in 2020.