Chris Cortez
Christopher Michael Cortez (born July 24, 1988) is an American soccer player.
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Christopher Michael Cortez[1] | ||
Date of birth | July 24, 1988 | ||
Place of birth | Mission Viejo, California, United States | ||
Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||
Playing position(s) | Forward | ||
Youth career | |||
2006 | California Golden Bears | ||
2007–2010 | Chivas USA | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2011 | Chivas USA | 9 | (0) |
2012 | Reynosa | ||
2013–2015 | Orange County Blues | 63 | (20) |
2016–2018 | Phoenix Rising | 76 | (29) |
2019 | Chonburi | 0 | (0) |
2019 | → Ayutthaya United (loan) | 12 | (2) |
2019–2020 | FC Helsingør | 6 | (2) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of June 27, 2020 |
Career
Youth and College
Cortez, who is of Mexican descent, attended the Trabuco Hills High School, where he earned South Coast League first-team all-league honors as both a junior and a senior, and led his team to the South Coast League Championship in 2005. He played club soccer for Pateadores, and played one year of college soccer at the University of California, Berkeley, before signing with Chivas USA's youth academy.[2]
He went on to trial with Mexican side Pachuca in late 2010, before returning to the United States in early 2011 to train with Chivas USA's senior team. He participated in several of Chivas's preseason matches, and also played in the MLS Reserve Division, prior to officially turning professional.
Professional
Cortez was formally signed by Chivas USA on May 15, 2011,[3] and was immediately added to the club's game day roster. He made his professional debut the same day, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 3-2 victory over the New York Red Bulls.[4]
Cortez was released by Chivas USA on February 26, 2012.[5]
He then played for the Orange County Blues, scoring 20 goals in 63 games.
Arizona United SC
Cortez signed with Arizona United on March 19, 2016.[6] Cortez finished the 2016 season with three goals and three assists.
Phoenix Rising FC
In November 2016, Arizona United re-branded as Phoenix Rising FC.[7] Cortez finished his second season with the Phoenix USL franchise with five goals and team leading five assists, and earned USL Team of the Week honors in Week 23 of the season.[8]
Cortez had a record setting 2018 season, tallying 19 goals on 81 shots, and appearing in 33 games.[9] His performance set a club record for goals in a season[10] and career goals.[11] On December 4, 2018, Cortez announced that he would not return to the club[12] in favor of a chance to play in the Thailand League 1.
FC Helsingør
On 8 August 2019, Cortez joined Danish 2nd Division club FC Helsingør on a free transfer.[13] He left the club at the end of the season.[14]
References
- "Christopher Michael Cortez, Born 07/24/1988 in California". CaliforniaBirthIndex.org.
- "Chivas USA Weekly Update: Red & White Prepare for SuperClásico Against Galaxy".
- Youth Academy product Chris Cortez signs with Chivas USA Archived October 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- Cortez's debut for Chivas a long time in the making
- "CHIVAS USA: Goats release Cortez - Los Angeles Soccer Blog - ESPN Los Angeles". espn.go.com. 26 February 2012. Retrieved 2014-05-02.
- "Bardsley, Cortez Highlight Arizona's New Signings". United Soccer League (USL). 2016-03-19. Retrieved 2016-03-19.
- "Arizona United SC Unveils Phoenix Rising FC Rebrand". 28 November 2016.
- "Phoenix Rising Football Club Adds Forward Chris Cortez". 6 December 2017.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2018-03-20. Retrieved 2018-12-11.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Chris Cortez Sets Scoring Record in Loss to San Antonio FC". 9 September 2018.
- "Zlatan of the USL: Phoenix Rising's Cortez approaching another record". 28 September 2018.
- https://twitter.com/c_cortez88/status/1070183640657580032
- FC HELSINGØR HENTER AMERIKANSK GOALGETTER, fchelsingor.dk, 8 August 2019
- Cortez forlader FCH: Ikke fået hvad vi håbede, bold.dk, 20 July 2020
External links
- Chris Cortez at Major League Soccer
- "Berkeley bio". Archived from the original on 2012-06-06. Retrieved 2011-05-17.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)