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 When Eduardo "Lalo" Fernandez committed to the University of Wisconsin men's soccer program, coach John Trask knew the goalkeeper likely wouldn't have a long career with the Badgers before turning professional.
In the end, though, he didn't have a college career at all.
Fernandez signed with Uruguayan power C.A. Peñarol last week, Trask said, having turned down an offer from Mexican club Atlas earlier this summer.
"It was a great opportunity for the kid, and I'd never stand in a player's way – I told the team that, I'd tell any recruit that," Trask said Saturday night after his team opened the season with a 1-0 victory over Western Illinois at the McClimon Complex. "I think Wisconsin is a special place, but Peñarol is probably one of the top 40 clubs in the world. So good for that kid."
The 6-foot-3, 165-pound Fernandez was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, but also has U.S. citizenship and has been part of the youth national team setup for both countries, playing for the Mexican Under-17 team and training with the U.S. Under-20 team. His family lives in El Paso, Texas, but he's been playing with Real Salt Lake-Arizona in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy.
Montevideo club Peñarol has won 47 Uruguayan titles and has claimed the Copa Libertadores, the South American version of the Champions League, five times. Fernandez's father, Eduardo Fernandez de la Garza, had a lengthy career as a professional keeper in Mexico.
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