Dominick "Nicky" Gilbert Hernandez (born September 21, 1998) is an American soccer player who currently plays for

New Mexico United New Mexico United is an American professional soccer team based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 2018, the team currently plays in the USL Championship, the second division of American soccer. History Former teams The state of New Mexic ...

in the

USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, p ...

Playing career

Youth, college and amateur

Hernandez was part of the

USSDA The U.S. Soccer Development Academy (DA) was an American soccer league. Formed in 2007, the league features youth academies and youth clubs from various organizations, including Major League Soccer and the United Soccer League. The DA's missio ...

academy side Dallas Texans until 2017, when he went to play

college soccer College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It is very prominent in United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and as well as in South Africa and the Philippines. The United K ...

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = "The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , ...

. Hernandez played three seasons with the ''Mustangs'' between 2017 and 2019, making 48 appearances, scoring 8 goals and tallying 9 assists. Hernandez was named AAC All-Tournament Team in 2019 and All-SMU Tournament Team in 2018. While at college, Hernandez played with

USL PDL USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syste ...

side

Texas United Texas United is an American soccer club that currently competes in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The club plays its home games at the John Clark Stadium. In March 2017, it was announced that the club had been gra ...

during their 2018 season, scoring 2 goals and tallying 3 assists in 9 regular season appearances. During his 2019 season, Hernandez played with NPSL side Denton Diablos FC. Hernandez played in the

United Premier Soccer League The United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) is an American soccer league that was founded in Santa Ana in Southern California, with teams in regionalized conferences throughout the United States, and recently Canada and Mexico. The league was found ...

for FC Harrington during the Spring 2020 season.

North Texas SC

On September 12, 2020, Hernandez left college early to sign a professional contract with

North Texas SC North Texas Soccer Club is a professional soccer club playing in the MLS Next Pro, a third division league of American soccer. The team is owned by, and operates as the reserve team of the Major League Soccer club FC Dallas. While the senior club ...

, the

USL League One USL League One (USL1) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that had its inaugural season in 2019. The Division III league is operated by United Soccer League, the same group that operates the Division II USL Championshi ...

affiliate of

MLS Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

side

FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes as a member of the Western Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The franchise began play in 1996 as a charter club of the le ...

. He made his debut the same day, starting in a 2–0 win over FC Tucson. On January 21, 2021,

selected Hernandez 15th overall in the

2021 MLS SuperDraft The 2021 MLS SuperDraft was the 22nd edition of the MLS SuperDraft, SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. The SuperDraft is held every January prior to the start of the MLS season. The 2020 SuperDraft was the first held exclusively via conf ...

FC Dallas

On March 23, 2021, Hernandez officially signed for

side

. Following the 2022 season, his contract option was declined by Dallas.

New Mexico United

On July 25, 2023, Hernandez signed a deal with

side

for the remainder of their 2023 season.

References

1998 births American men's soccer players Men's association football midfielders FC Dallas draft picks FC Dallas players Living people National Premier Soccer League players New Mexico United players North Texas SC players Sportspeople from Duncanville, Texas San Antonio FC players SMU Mustangs men's soccer players Soccer players from Texas USL Championship players USL League One players USL League Two players United Premier Soccer League players {{US-footy-midfielder-stub