Education
Cortez 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 United States of America"s youth academy.
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 United States of America"s senior team He participated in several of Chivas"s preseason matches, and also played in the Master of Library Science Reserve Division, prior to officially turning professional.