Balderas is a box-to-box midfielder who stood out with Capital City SC ‘s U16 team in 2024-2025. Previously a member of Austin FC ‘s academy, he has tremendous quality on the ball and does a great job of helping the team create chances. A lefty, Balderas can be very dangerous when he drives the ball through the middle, but he’s arguably even more impactful when he drops a little bit deeper and uses the space and time on the ball to find teammates in the final third with long passes. The midfielder is also a threat in set pieces, displaying a great ability to provide excellent service to his teammates and also firing dangerous shots on target.

Balderas Cortes was highly impactful in his team’s Capital City SC U16 MLS Next 1-1 tie with Hawaii Rush 09B East. Playing as a box-to-box midfielder, he articulated most of his team’s offensive plays, connecting intelligent passes and making strong runs through the center of the field. Balderas Cortes was at his best when he operated as a deep-lying playmaker, taking a few steps back to get on the ball in space and find teammates in good spots in the final third with accurate long passes. A left-footed player, he also showed great quality in set pieces, sending the ball into the box with tremendous accuracy.