Junior strategic communication major Andres Espinel has been recruited by Beyond Sports to play in their 2024 men’s soccer tour in Spain this summer. He will play on a team of sixteen athletes who come from colleges all over the United States, in three exhibition games against top local competition. The tour will last from June 1 to 11, and, when he isn’t actively practicing or playing soccer, his time will be spent attending educational and sightseeing tours in Madrid, Valencia, and Barcelona.
Espinel has been playing soccer for fifteen years, but says “it was in high school that I started to play soccer with a pro-level projection.” In highschool, he played in Argentina, Colombia, and in the 2017 Mundialito Islas Canarias soccer tournament. Later, he was recruited by a junior college in Kansas before finding his home in Walla Walla University—where he currently plays as a right back, a position he plans on maintaining for the summer tour.
Last December, Beyond Sports reached out to WWU head soccer coach Adam Gervis about recruiting Espinel to their team. Every year, Beyond Sports puts together two 16-player rosters, selecting conference statistical leaders, all-conference honorees, and coach recommendations from all divisions of NCAA and NAIA. The coaches for these Beyond Sports teams are always current college coaches, and the selection for this summer will be announced in the spring.
Throughout the tour, players will spend three nights in Madrid, Valencia, and in the Barcelona area—playing one game in each of these cities. Apart from the chance to play international soccer, this tour is also a great opportunity for exploring Spain. Players will get to thoroughly enjoy these wonderful cities, attending different tours, classes, and local activities.
Standing out among all United States collegiate-level athletes, Espinel has earned his spot as one of only 16 athletes on the Beyond Sports team to play against some of the best talents in the world.
For more information about WWU soccer, go to uwolves.com, and for more about Beyond Sports’ men’s soccer tour, go to www.beyondsportstours.com.
Posted April 2, 2024
