Sacramento Republic FC announced Tuesday afternoon that midfielder Danny Barrera will be returning to the club for the 2016 season.

Barrera first came to the Republic midway through the 2015 season after spending three seasons in NASL. He appeared in 16 league matches with Sacramento, notching 2 goals and 3 assists in 1128 minutes played.

Barrera was quickly identified by fans as a player to watch during his time with Sacramento last season, impressing with both his vision for seeing passes and his great skill in pulling them off. While he only managed three assists on the year, he created a number of chances that were either saved, blocked, or not taken advantage of by his teammates.

The early reaction to Barrera’s re-signing was definitely positive.

In the press release, Republic FC Head Coach and Technical Director Paul Buckle said he was “thrilled” to welcome Barrera back for next season. “I feel that he is someone that showed us going into the end of last season what he can do,” Buckle said. “He is a central player for us in the midfield, a creative player. He has flourished and played nearly every match for us since joining the club. He is someone that is capable of unlocking defenses and continuing his career to play at an even higher division.”

Barrera was one of Indomitable City Soccer’s top 5 priorities for the Republic to re-sign for 2016 for precisely those reasons. His creativity and talent on the offensive side of the ball will be needed more than ever next season to fill the hole left by the departure of Rodrigo Lopez. Although they are not the same player - for one, Lopez mostly played left midfield and Barrera is most comfortable centrally - there is no doubt that Barrera is being looked at to pick up some of the creative responsibility moving forward.

What do you think about Danny Barrera coming back for the 2016 season? Who do you think will be the next player to re-sign with the Republic? Let us know in the the comments below.