Charleston Battery winger Fidel Barajas speaks on Hibs experience - 'I fit in there'

Charleston Battery winger Fidel Barajas has spoken about his experience with Hibs during the World Cup break, during which he took part in the Algarve Cup tournament with the Easter Road side’s under-19s.

The 16-year-old Californian-born attacker came through the youth ranks at Sacramento Republic like Hibs winger Emmanuel Johnson before joining up with the Battery in September last year, notching two assists in three matches towards the end of last year’s USL Championship.

Thanks to the partnership between Hibs and the South Carolina club, Barajas – who has four goals in ten appearances for Mexico Under-17s – joined up with Hibs in November. The Evening News understands that the purpose of the trip was to give the teen a chance to gain more experience of and exposure to different training styles rather than a formal trial, while the Battery were in the off-season.

Fidel Barajas makes his senior debut for Charleston Battery against Hartford Athletic in October

During the 2020/21 season, Trinidad and Tobago internationalist Leland Archer and former Rangers youngster Robbie Crawford travelled to Scotland for a similar experience between American seasons.

Speaking to his club’s website, Barajas reflected on his time with Steve Kean and Gareth Evans’ under-19s in Portugal.

"We played six games against Benfica and Porto, Soccer Universities, and SønderjyskE from Denmark. We won three games, drew one, and lost two and then we went back to Scotland. I played in three of the games.

"I feel like my biggest takeaway is just knowing how to play at another level compared to where I’m at right now. It’s still very strong and fast even though it’s academy-level. Going in just thinking about me playing against top teams like Porto and Benfica was sort of a challenge, but after I got my first touches in the game, I feel like I handled it well. I was up for the challenge, I fit in there, and feel like it was a good experience.”

Barajas stayed with a host family – ‘they were pretty cool’ – as well as Johnson, who spent time on loan at Patriots Point last year, and gained a lot from the overall experience.

"Being in Europe, and in different parts of Europe, the overall experience was great. Playing with Hibs and experiencing how different the players are and how they approach the game, it was all fantastic."

The winger is yet to declare for one country, having represented Mexico and the USA at youth level. Although he faced players at club level from countries he has faced on the international stage, it was a different challenge facing opponents from older age groups.

" I was going against older players who I didn’t recognise from previous trips. I was one of the youngest players there. Hibs brought a few players from their under-16 team but the rest were all older than me. It was challenging and a little scary at first however, after training with them, there wasn’t much of a difference – and I’m used to playing alongside older guys at Charleston.

“I felt really comfortable after my first game and in the other matches, I was able to create more in the attacking third and felt better on the ball and with my teammates. Sadly, I didn’t get an assist or goal but I did hit the post twice in my last game.”