Was wondering if anyone knew about the situation with ex-Cal forward Chris Cortez. He was a highly regarded freshmen for the Bears last year. http://calbears.cstv.com/sports/m-soccer/mtt/cortez_chris00.htm His career got off to a good start when he scored the tying goal against Santa Clara in the second game of the season. But Cortez, despite starting eight more games - and playing in ten more - and taking 25 shots, 12 of them on goal, never scored again and was relegated to reserve status for the second part of last year. Here are Cal's stats for last year: http://calbears.cstv.com/sports/m-soccer/stats/2006-2007/teamcume.html But Cortez isn't on the roster this year. I know that in the summer of 06 and again this past summer, he played on Chivas USA's U-19 team, which is an amateur club and featured several other college and college-bound players. (The Farfans from Cal State Fullerton among them.) Then, I'm reading a report of some MLS reserve games and there I see playing for Chivas USA is a Chris Cortez. http://chivas.usa.mlsnet.com/news/t...ent_id=119302&vkey=pr_cdc&fext=.jsp&team=t120 In that game, against KC, he got an assist. I got an e-mail with a match report of their game against Chicago's reserves and a Chris Cortez scored two goals in a 4-3 win. He's listed as a guest player in both reports (and is, in fact, not currently on the team's roster on MLSnet). But I'm wondering if it's the same Chris Cortez that once played at Cal and if it's not, does anyone know where the Cal Chris Cortez is? But if it is the same guy, that pretty much ends his college career because even reserve division games are pro games and would be an NCAA violation. And, if it is the same guy, kinda wild that he'd be more productive in a handful of pro reserve games than he was in a full season of college ball. Maybe that's an indictment on the quality of MLS reserve games. Maybe it's a comment on college soccer or Cal's program. Or maybe it's just an example of a player not being a good fit at one place but doing well someplace where he was a good fit.
I'm am not too sure about his whereabouts right now but I do know that Chris Cortez lost his scholarship and was kicked off the Cal soccer team because he was playing with the Chivas U19 that you referred to (something about playing with a college program and a club program at the same time). I also know that he was practicing with that same chivas u19 squad all through the spring and summer so I would not be suprised in the least if it was indeed the same Chris Cortez playing for the reserves. Estuardo "tato" Sanchez, Eder Robles and Roro all started off playing for the Chivas U19 team and were eventually called up to the 1st team.
Yes, it is the same Chris Cortez. My older son had the pleasure of being co-captain in HS with him. Yes, he played pre-season with Cal, but for some reason, the coach did not play him during league. Odd if you ask me as he's a great player and did very well his freshman year in preseason. He left Cal to go to trials for Chivas MLS here in LA without telling Cal coach which kind of messed up his scholarship and schooling. He continued with school at a community local level, while training and playing with reserves. Last we all heard, he was being asked to trial with Chivas Guadalara (sp?) in Mexico. If true, he will be a tremendous asset to that team and we all wish him the best of luck. Has a younger brother in last year of club who is also a great forward.
Thanks for starting this thread, bc I've been wondering the same thing. I wasn't able to see any Cal games last year, but I started going back this year, and didn't see this great player that I've been hearing about.
Thanks for the info on Cortez, guys. Here's the link to the game against the Fire reserves. Cortez came in at halftime and scored two straight goals to turn a 1-3 deficit into a tie. http://chivas.usa.mlsnet.com/news/t...ent_id=120698&vkey=pr_cdc&fext=.jsp&team=t120 I don't know if he's played more than two games with the Chivas Reserves, but in the two games I've found a link to, he's combined for 84 minutes, 2 goals, an assist and two yellow cards. And Chivas has rallied to win both games after he came in. Clearly, he is playing well for them and clearly, he is playing like he wants to win a contract. Interesting news about him going on trial in Mexico. If he gets offers from first division teams down there, there's no way Chivas USA can match that with a reserve division offer. It will be interesting to see if A) he gets an offer in Mexico, B) if Chivas USA wants to sign him and C) if they do, if they're willing to give him a first team roster spot or if he's willing to take a reserve deal. I suppose they could lobby the league to make him a Generation Adidas deal, which would get him more money, but he doesn't have any college eligibility left and if they did that, then other teams in MLS would have a chance to get him. BTW, Proud Mama mentioned Big Chivas as a team he might trial with. Was he born in Mexico because if not, I don't think he fits their criteria. If he was born in Mexico, does anyone know if he's a US citizen? Finally, I see that since we have started this thread, Cal has taken down the link to Cortez' bio there. Guess they don't want to be linked to him anymore! I suppose that means this thread doesn't belong in the college board anymore so perhaps a mod can move it to the Chivas USA board, where it is likely more relevant.
If I am not mistaken... He appeared in the new Chivas TV show last Sunday and I think he is practicing with the Chivas USA first team now. In the interview he stated how he has gone from the U19 team to now the first team. he talks about the game been a lot more faster but that he is adjusting and he is working towards getting some time with Chivas.
Yes, I believe Chris is a US Citizen, however his father is from Mexico. I usually don't critique KG, but I think not playing him when the league season started last year, was what pushed him to trial elsewhere. I know he played preseason and did very well, but then when league started...... I don't know why that happened. He comes from a very nice family, and all of us down here in So OC wish him the best wherever he plays.
That will A) make him able to play in Mexico and not count as a foreigner and B) keep him from being able to play for Chivas de Guadalajara and C) make him the perfect type of player that Chivas USA should be signing. He may have been "playing well" but he wasn't producing. One goal, and that came in the second game of the season. As I stated above, he started 10 games last year - most, if not all - coming in the beginning of the season. One goal in ten starts just isn't gonna get it done for a forward so I can't really blame the coach for making him a reserve. Also, it's not like he didn't play him, he just didn't start the second half of the year. He finished with 20 games played, so he was still playing as a sub. And he still didn't score. (ANd not to be pedantic, but it's not the preseason but the non-conference season in which Cortez got most of his starts. I know it's just words, but preseason implies the games didn't count when, in fact, they did.) Sometimes a player and a team just aren't a good fit for whatever reason. Coretz was productive before he got to Cal and based on his short stint with Chivas USA's reserves, he's been productive since he left. It's pretty obvious he's a good player. It just didn't happen at Cal. It happens sometimes. Ask Juan Veron or ManU fans about that situation. And it's not just soccer. Ask Washington Capital fans about the Jaromir Jagr Era. Guy was the best scorer in hockey before he gets to DC then stinks for two years and gets moved to NY and becomes great again. Anyway, I digress. Here's hoping it works for him at Chivas USA. I'd love to see him playing in MLS next year. The league needs more forwards the size of Cortez (listed at Cal as 6-4) and Chivas USA - and MLS - need more Mexican-American kids playing for them, particularly local ones like Cortez is.
my guess is he will be available for ther expansion draft. So he has a good chance of being picked up by Sj or he could always step up as a replacement for someone we do lose , if not him.
Doesn't he have to be signed and on the roster to be in the expansion draft? I mean, teams can't expose players in the draft that aren't theirs yet, can they?
H is a essentially a free agent now and can be signed by anyone at any time. Once we sign him if we do he would then need to be protected. The official rules for the upcoming expansion draft are still unclear as to what changes may be made from the last expansion draft.
No, his bio is still up from last year: http://calbears.cstv.com/sports/m-soccer/mtt/cortez_chris00.html They still have bios of all players in the last decade, including Troy Roberts, Calen Carr, Mike Munoz, Hatzke, Ebert, etc.
Someone should go down to a reserve game and film it, if possible. I'd like to see these doodz playing, only problem is that reserve games are usualy early the next morning after the senior squad match.
Not that it matters, any player w/ skills is a perfect fit to be a Goat. Just the talk of him possibly playing for Chivas Guadalajara threw me off cause he looks black to me in both pictures posted. I believe the reserve squad or Goats U19 are playing in some sort of tourney held at the HDC (friday to monday)...not sure, but I tinso'? I wonder if he'll be there?
Any news on whether Chivas USA is gonna sign this kid? Did he travel to Mexico with CUSA's Copa Chivas team?