By RGVFútbol/Staff

McALLEN, 11 Feb. - With the recent U.S. men’s national team loss to Honduras in the World Cup qualifiers and the U-20 Olympic team qualifying disaster last year, the Valley could be in a position to assist the U-20’s in helping save face at the upcoming CONCACAF Championship in Puebla, Mexico.

While recent University of North Carolina sophomore and the No. 14th pick in the MLS SuperDraft Mikey López of Mission has been training with his new MLS club Sporting Kansas City and the U.S. U-20 men’s national team for the regional competition in central Mexico, he could be joined before too long by a second Valley representative in former Brownsville Porter standout Alán Cortinas.

Cortinas was mentioned, along with other U.S. youth players affiliated with Mexican first division clubs, to be possible call-ups for the U-20 squad that head coach Tab Ramos is preparing for the CONCACAF Championships, according to the MLS Soccer Report.

The former Porter Cowboy has been training with Monterrey-based Tigres’ first division club for the past seven months after a stint with their third division side, Cachorros UANL, and has been designated to the Tigres’ U-20 squad.

However, the competition for a spot on the U.S. U-20's isn’t going to be easy for Cortinas, with over 10 U.S. born players listed in the report that are playing in Mexico, all with possibilities of being among those elite few called up to represent the Stars and Stripes in the regional competition.