GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (GRPS) - For Union boys soccer players Carlos Meneses Martinez and Erik Soto, soccer is more than a fall sport. It is a year-round commitment that shapes their schedules, friendships, goals, and character.
Meneses Martinez, a senior at Union, plays left wing and serves as the team’s lead captain. His days begin with school, where he attends his first three classes at Union before heading to Kent Career Technical Center to study criminal justice, a field he hopes to pursue as a state trooper after graduation.
After KCTC, Meneses Martinez grabs something to eat, checks in with his teammates, and heads to practice. The team practices from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., building the skills, communication, and trust needed to compete. After practice, he heads home for dinner before making another stop: the gym for strength training. During the school day, he also serves on Union’s Leadership group, where students discuss ways to improve their school environment.
On the soccer field, Meneses Martinez takes that same sense of responsibility into his role as captain.
“It’s personal to me,” Meneses Martinez said about being the team leader. “I want to motivate these boys and try to win a championship.”
That goal comes after years of growth. Meneses Martinez remembers a difficult sophomore season, followed by a stronger junior year when leadership and team chemistry improved. This season, the roster is young, making his own leadership especially important.
He also has a special teammate by his side this year: his younger brother, Alex, who made varsity as a freshman.
“I think that’s one of the biggest flexes you can have in high school,” Meneses Martinez said about his brother.
Meneses Martinez’s competitive relationship with his brother is just one part of what has shaped him as a player. He also points to Coach Juan Zavala, who pulled him up to varsity as a sophomore and pushed him to play with confidence. Those lessons have helped prepare Meneses Martinez to lead a young team this season.
For Soto, the demands of soccer fit into a different daily routine. As a junior at Museum High School and the team’s center back, his day starts at 6 a.m. with a bus ride to school— where he works to maintain all A’s and B’s—before heading to Union for practice. Afterward, he heads home to eat, shower, rest, and unwind with video games.
Soto’s favorite part of the day is practice because he loves being given an opportunity to improve. As a defender, he describes his style as aggressive and fast, with communication at the center of his game. Both at practice and during games, he is constantly talking with fellow defenders and the goalkeeper, helping organize the team on the field.
Keeping up with schoolwork can be challenging, but Soto knows his grades matter.
“I feel like it’s important to keep your grades up so you can play,” he said.
Both players have been playing soccer since they were four, and their commitment to the sport extends well beyond the school season. Meneses Martinez has played for multiple West Michigan club teams, including Midwest United, where he has spent the past five years. Soccer is a year-round commitment for him, including club games and futsal. On weekends, he often travels with Midwest United to tournaments in Chicago or Indiana.
Soto also puts in the work year-round. During the summer, he trains with his dad. He also stays active with pickup soccer at Burton Middle School throughout the year. For both players, training is about more than staying in shape; it’s about continuing to develop their skills and becoming better, more complete players.
Through their busy schedules, both players say the people and experiences around them make the commitment worthwhile.
For Meneses Martinez, that means the bond he shares with his teammates. For Soto, it’s the competition and the chance to keep improving.
And for both, soccer is about becoming better, not only as players, but as people, too.
