San Jose Earthquakes defender Nick Lima is headed to Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin for a training stint, a source with direct knowledge of the situation has told ESPN.
Lima, 23, was a collegiate teammate of Hertha goalkeeper Jonathan Klinsmann at the University of California-Berkeley. The source added that the possibility remains that Hertha could seek a transfer if Lima does enough to impress the club's hierarchy. Lima is expected to report to the club on Monday and begin training on Tuesday.
A product of San Jose's academy, Lima just completed his second professional season with the Earthquakes, having made 60 league and cup appearances while scoring four goals. The right-back has been one of the few defensive bright spots for a side that conceded a club record 71 goals in 2018.
Lima has been on the radar of the U.S. national team of late. He was called into last year's January camp, and was an unused substitute in a 0-0 friendly draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina.