And on those occasions the opportunity to shine in the postseason presented itself, Herrera stepped up to the mark. During the Eagles’ run to the 2013 Championship Final, he came through with the game-winning goals in both the Quarterfinals and the Semifinals before one last road miracle failed to materialize in Orlando.

The combination of those achievements, and the grace with which he carried himself on and off the field, will leave a lasting impression on the league he played a significant role in growing.

And, as he tells it, they’ve left a lasting impression on Herrera as well.

“I remember the first year in USL PRO, and you could count the number of teams on your hands,” he said. “Now, what the league has become, it's amazing.

“I feel so blessed to be a part of that growth. Not just for the league, but for soccer in the United States. I remember those days clearly when we played Orlando with 20,000-plus people in the stadium. It was something you'd never imagined at that time. Then going to play in Cincinnati with the same, 20,000 or 25,000, I don't know. We have come so far along as a league.”

There’s no doubt Herrera could have added to his on-field legacy this year. The landmarks of 75 regular-season goals and 250 regular-season appearances would have both been a given, as would potentially becoming the first player to register 40 regular-season assists.

It may be only when the Independence take the field to kick off the new season in two weeks with the lone player to sit above him in the Championship’s goalscoring charts – Dane Kelly – in the club’s colors that it will finally sink in that his playing days are behind him.