By ROY HESS | The Brownsville Herald
Thanks to soccer, Brandon Montes is becoming a world traveler.
A couple of years ago, he played in Spain on a select soccer team. Now he’s going to China with another select team.
The sophomore-to-be at Porter left Saturday to join a group of under-16 players from the United States and Mexico that will leave for Beijing later this week.
The select team initially was going to meet in Mexico City on Saturday and then go to Toronto to train before traveling to China to play in the Gothia Cup, which is considered the World Cup of youth soccer.
“ They scout you and then they scout you some more,” said Montes when asked how he was chosen for the select team. “It means I’m doing a good job and I should continue doing what I’m doing (on the soccer field).”
Another player from the area who is on the team of 15-year-olds along with Montes is Jorge Hernandez of Los Fresnos.
“ I’m grateful to be on the team and get this opportunity,” said Montes, a midfielder for Porter who was named The Brownsville Herald’s All-Metro Boys Soccer Newcomer of the Year and earned similar honors on the All-District 32-5A team last spring as a freshman. “We want to bring back the championship trophy. That’s the expectation we have for the tournament.”
The team he is playing on is named Intercups.
“ (Playing on this team) is going to be a way to develop leadership (skills) and get used to playing hard games,” Montes said. “It’ll help me learn how to make quick decisions (on the field during games).”
Porter coach Jose Espitia likes the way the Cowboys’ young standout is evolving as a soccer player.
“ Brandon is an excellent student-athlete,” Espitia said. “He is very intelligent in the classroom and on the field. His ability to read the game is impressive. On top of all that, he is a natural leader on and off the field.
“ This experience (in China) will benefit his development and exposure as a player,” the Porter coach added. “We are very lucky to have such a great kid, an NCAA Division I prospect, at Porter.”
Last spring, the Cowboys qualified for the Class 5A state playoffs as the third-place team from 32-5A. They advanced two rounds in the playoffs with a team basically composed of underclassmen.
One of the Cowboys’ most reliable team members was Montes, an Olympic Development Player (ODP) who played attacking midfielder or midfielder on the wing, as a freshman.
Montes has been working out mornings and afternoons throughout the summer in preparation for his trip to the other side of the world. He said his team will be in China playing in the Gothia Cup event for approximately two weeks.
“ I hope everything goes well over there, we win and we come back safely,” he said.