Carlos Mercado never planned to be a goalkeeper.
He wanted to be a forward when he grew up.
But as fate would have it, a 12-year-old kid from Laredo, Texas, ended up doing what every younger sibling dreams of – getting called up to play with the older kids.
Well, in this case, adults.
The only catch? He had to do it as a goalkeeper, at the last second, and in a position he had never played before.
One night, his brothers’ team was short a player after their goalkeeper bailed on their Wednesday night league match.
Carlos always came along to support his brothers. He also always kept his cleats in his bag just in case he would ever get called up to play.
It would have taken nothing short of a miracle for him to actually step onto the field, but if the chance came, he had to be ready.
His older brother, knowing this, and with the referee ready to cancel the match, tossed Carlos the gloves and said, “Get in goal.”
This was a 30-and-over league, and anyone who has played in one of these leagues knows they are physical and fueled more by hustle than finesse.
It was not exactly the ideal setting for a 12-year-old making his goalkeeping debut. But that unexpected moment would change everything for Carlos.
“I didn’t know what I was doing, but the feeling of saving a goal - it was the best,” he told MLSNEXTPro.com.
“After the game, my brothers told me, ‘Hey Carlos, you’re really good, but you need to train,’ so they got me a goalkeeper coach, and a few months later, I went to an open tryout with [Liga MX team] Pachuca and got selected.”
Looking back on his first taste of goalkeeping, the 25-year-old keeper thinks back.
“I fell in love with the position by accident, but now, it’s a part of me.”
More than a decade later, Mercado is heading to Austin, Texas, just a four-hour drive from where he grew up in Laredo, to represent Orlando City B at the 2025 MLS All-Star Week, where he will compete in Goalie Wars.
It is a full-circle moment for a player who has taken the long road to get to where he is today.
Through setbacks and an unwavering belief in himself, he is ready to show a global audience what a kid from Laredo is made of.
Border Town Dreams
Growing up in a tight-knit household as the youngest of six siblings, family played a central role in shaping Mercado’s values and work ethic.
Money was tight, and while his parents worked across the border in Laredo, Texas, the family lived in Nuevo Laredo, where the cost of living was cheaper.
Life wasn’t always easy, Mercado remembered, but it was rooted in love and sacrifice.
“My role models have always been my brothers and my parents,” Mercado said. “Where we come from, there were very few opportunities. The environment wasn’t very safe. Seeing how my family overcame every obstacle, that’s what motivates me.”
“I don’t need idols. My family is my motivation.” Mercado exclaimed.
After being selected at an open tryout, Mercado joined the Pachuca Academy at an early age and moved away from home. Living alone as a preteen taught him independence and resilience at a young age.
“It made me a leader. I had to do everything, laundry, school, and training, on my own. It shaped me.” Mercado recalled.
He joined FC Dallas' youth academy later and got the chance to represent both Mexico and the U.S. at the youth national team levels.
By that point, Mercado believed a professional contract seemed inevitable. But when the offers didn’t come, Mercado hit a crossroads.
“I thought I was going to sign pro, either in the U.S or Mexico, but then nothing happened,” he said. “I was about to go back to Laredo and work with my family. But the University of the Incarnate Word showed up out of nowhere. That offer rescued me.”
After two college seasons and stints with USL League Two sides Des Moines Menace and Corpus Christi FC, Mercado signed his first pro deal with San Antonio FC, thanks to a promise kept by his former Des Moines head coach, Alen Marcina.
“After the season was over, he told me, ‘Carlitos, when I sign professionally, I’m going to take you with me. I’ll give you your first contract. Later, when he became the San Antonio FC head coach, he kept his word.”
Unfortunately for Mercado, injuries and lack of play stalled his momentum, and by the end of 2023, he found himself out of contract and uncertain if he’d ever play again.
Betting On Yourself
By early 2024, Mercado was a free agent. That’s when a former teammate told him to reach out to Orlando City SC goalkeeper coach César Baena.
“I messaged César on Instagram and said, ‘Hey, I’m in Orlando if you need me.’ But I wasn’t, I was in San Antonio,” Mercado admitted while laughing.
“César wanted me there on Monday, and it was Friday, but my brother helped me book a flight the next day, and I showed up Monday.”
Mercado was betting on himself. A gamble that would help him break into MLS.
He spent the next three weeks on trial and earned himself an MLS NEXT Pro contract with Orlando City B. By September of 2024, he was promoted to the first team.
Quite a turnaround for a player who once considered calling it quits.
In his first MLS NEXT Pro season in 2024, Mercado quickly asserted himself as the primary keeper for OCB, starting 20 matches, making 83 saves, and posting three clean sheets.
He credits Baena and Orlando City B goalkeeper coach Marcos Machado for sharpening his focus and technical precision in order to earn a contract with Orlando's first team.
"César has helped me a lot. He knows how to communicate in a way that really gets through to you. And Marcos, he focuses a lot on video and the small details in training. It’s been really good working with both of them."
After earning a first-team contract with Orlando City SC, he now trains daily alongside World Cup veteran and Orlando captain Pedro Gallese.
This was another full-circle moment as Gallese was someone Mercado watched growing up, and quickly noticed what made “El Pulpo‘s game special.
"[Pedro] is one of the best goalkeepers in the league," Mercado said.
“I used to watch him play in the Mexican league with Veracruz. I remember thinking, 'That keeper is really good with his feet.' And now, I get to watch him in person and train with him. I’ve learned so much, especially about the importance of having your own style.”
In 2025, Mercado has elevated his game to another level.
At the time of this writing, he's started 13 games, keeping two clean sheets. He's among the league leaders in total saves this season, just behind fellow Goalie Wars competitors Eldin Jakupović and Pedro Cruz.
In a recent match against Carolina Core FC, Mercado made 10 saves to help Orlando City B secure a 3-1 victory and extend their three match unbeaten streak, keeping them above the playoff line in a competitive Eastern Conference.
Combate de Porteros
Mercado’s play between the posts in 2025 earned him a spot in Goalie Wars at the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge.
“When they told me I was selected, I was really excited,” he said. “Last year, I told myself, ‘Next year, I’m going to Goalie Wars.’ I believed I would.”
Mercado stated that he was already familiar with the format, having spent time in Mexico doing a "goalkeeper combat" training exercise.
“In Mexico, we used to do it a lot in Pachuca, Combate de Porteros (Goalkeeper Combat), we used to call it,” he said. “So, I’m pretty familiar with the setup. I’ve been working on it.”
For Mercado, being selected for Goalie Wars is more than just a competition - it’s validation for all his hard work.
“I’m proud that I never gave up,” Mercado said. “Even when I was a free agent and nothing made sense, I kept working. I believed, even when the situation didn’t let me."
He also has a message for every young player who’s ever questioned if it was worth pursuing their dreams.
“You have to be hard-headed with your dreams. You have to believe in your dream before anyone else does."
"Maybe you won’t see results in a month, a year, or even 10 years, but if you keep believing, something is going to open up."
Mercado’s journey as a goalkeeper may have started by accident, but his determination and never-give-up attitude have taken him to one of the brightest and biggest stages MLS has to offer.
"I was just a kid from the streets of Nuevo Laredo, playing soccer and dreaming big. A lot of people told me, ‘You’re not going to make it, you’re from Nuevo Laredo. No one from there has ever made it to the First Division.’ But that never stopped me."
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Catch Carlos Mercado competing in Goalie Wars at the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T on Tuesday, July 22, streaming live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
