Last weekend, the US Men’s National Team conducted a training camp in Puerto Rico. Under the command of Robert Hedin, some of the best players in the nation reunited for practice and scrimmages against the Puerto Rico Senior & Junior National Teams. Among all these exceptional athletes, Aaron Johnson, one of the rare US citizen in our team.

After 18 months of hard work and practice with the first San Francisco Calheat men’s team, Aaron got selected to debut in the red, blue and white jersey. Alongside Jordan Fithian (named captain for the occasion), longstanding members Chris Morgan and Ethan Pickett, and fresh newcomer Benjamin Briffe, Aaron discovered the international handball scene and ended up the weekend with two wins and two losses. Over those couple games, Aaron scored a couple goals and showed some solid offensive and defensive sequences.

Hopefully this is just the beginning of the road for Aaron. The competition on the roster for the 2019 Pan-american Games will be intense with players based in Europe. However, Aaron’s enthusiasm and hard work might help him grow exponentially. “Aaron was and is still a promising player. His Handball understanding has still room for growth. We shouldn’t forget that he joined us only 18-20 months ago. Now, to further develop into an exception handball player, Aaron might have to spend some time in Europe. That’s up to him!” – says SF Calheat coach Danilo Rojevic.

Undeniably, Aaron’s road to an established role in the US National Team is still long but the future is bright. “This was an incredible experience, playing alongside some of the best in the country. I’m really excited for what’s to come next. I know I have to work even harder to live these moments again, and I’ll surely do! – Aaron is clear about it. He will ‘show it’ in the months to come.