Revolution Homegrown preps to make Haiti first-team debut

Wednesday marked the beginning of a very busy week for Zachary Herivaux.

After playing 37 minutes in the New England Revolution's US Open Cup win over the Philadelphia Union, Herivaux traveled to Florida to link up with the Haitian National Team, who will face the Argentine Olympic squad on Sunday. From there, Herivaux will head to San Jose to participate in the MLS Chipotle Homegrown Game on Wednesday.

It's a busy schedule for sure, but also one that Herivaux is excited about.

"It's going to be a fun trip," Herivaux said. "I'm going to be able to meet a lot of different guys, a lot of different Homegrowns in the league. It's going to be a good time."

Herivaux hopes that this week brings many firsts. If he sees the field on Sunday, it will be his first appearance for Haiti's senior team. Three days later, he will have the opportunity to be the first Revs player to feature in the Homegrown Game.

More than that, however, the two games provide Herivaux with a chance to play competitive minutes. Since signing a Homegrown contract in May 2015, the 20-year-old has only made five appearances with just one coming during league play. Games against stern competition like the Argentine Olympic Team and the Mexican U-20s will certainly help his development.

"It's all about game time," Herivaux explained. "You need game time to improve and being able to do that at an international stage or with the Homegrown Game is going to be a great experience for me."

Although he hasn't played a lot of minutes, Herivaux has made significant progress. Head coach Jay Heaps noted that during preseason, Herivaux "really separated himself from last year to this year in his growth." Heaps also praised the midfielder's Open Cup performances.

A major factor in Herivaux's success is his ability to soak in the advice given by those around him. The local product considers Shalrie Joseph a mentor and even received a pregame text from the MLS legend. Herivaux also gets a lot of support from former league MVP candidate Lee Nguyen.

"Lee's been my roommate since the start," Herivaux stated. "He's always been pushing me, telling me to keep my head up. When I got on the field, he's always motivating me to do more and more, giving me confidence, giving me trust."

Nguyen won't be with Herivaux when he travels to Florida and California, but rest assure that he and the rest of the Revolution will be keeping a close eye on the budding star.

"[We're] excited about his progress, he really competes out there," Heaps said. "[We're] excited for him to be called into the Homegrown and Haiti."