The Brownsville Porter Cowboys soccer team will head today to Corpus Christi to compete in the regional tournament.
The Cowboys will play in a semifinal at noon today against the Georgetown High Eagles. The winner will play against either Sharyland High or Dripping Springs on Saturday with a chance to play in the state tournament on the line.
“The boys are looking good,” Porter coach Jose Espitia said. “We have heard very good things about Georgetown, so that helps the boys’ mentality. At times, they can become complacent and have played down to their competition, especially if they do not hear good things about them.”
Espitia said the Eagles are a well-organized team that defends as a unit and is lethal on the counterattack. Georgetown High has not conceded a goal during the playoffs.
“We are focused, mentally prepared, and trained really hard this week,” he said.
The match will be a clash of styles. During the playoffs, Porter dominated teams with meaningful possession. When they have the ball, the Cowboys pressure the opposing defense with lethal passes that force defenders to be switched on at all times.
A team that likes to park the bus does not mind if teams pass side to side on it, especially if the opponent has numbers behind the ball and its backline is shielded by the forwards and midfielders.
Like Espitia said, the Eagles are deadly on the counter. They break with purpose and can create scoring opportunities with only a few passes. Georgetown High is an extremely athletic and physical team that will not be easy to break down.
“They leave very little space,” he said. “When they recover the ball they transition into their attack well, and before you know it they are near your box. They look good, but then again, it is going to be different for them. The (Rio Grande) Valley player is different from what they are used to.”
During the past two playoff the games, the Cowboys easily had more than 75 percent of the possession, so they have seen teams try and counter to beat them.
What helps the Porter defense is an extremely talented group of attacking players and midfielders. Julian Gallegos, Martin Gonzalez, Xavier Mateos, Alessandro Lara and Isiah Garza all can beat defenders in 1-on-1 situations.
Because of a fluid attack, the fullbacks do not have to commit to the attack and can help the center backs break up play. When they do break up counters in the opposing team’s half, Lara and Gonzalez are there to play in the forwards and look to score from outside of the box.
This causes opposing teams to be off-balance as they look to counter, the line-splitting passes also force opposing defenders to be switched on at all times and make the right decision all the time. If the defender does not clear the ball first time, Gallegos will rip it from him and force another defender to take him on, leaving plenty of space for teammates.
Opposing defenders also have to close down the Cowboys’ attackers at all times. During the past two playoff games Gonzalez, Lara and Gallegos have scored golazos.
“We are hoping that our offensive players could be our advantage, but we have to be very smart and focused defensively,” Espitia said.
The well-coached Eagles will be a big test, but the Cowboys know that at this stage of the season every opponent will be full of quality.
“I want to thank the support we receive from the community and invite everyone to come out and support our boys,” Espitia said. “We are representing the whole Brownsville community, and alongside Sharyland we are representing the Valley.
“The boys have worked hard, they know they have a big responsibility and are going to go out there and give it their all.”
