Soccer fanatic takes ‘old school’ approach to internship with Iowa team

Editor’s Note: This is the fourth in a series of articles about students in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications completing summer internships.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State senior and soccer super fan Juan Mendez is putting in the hours, making the moves and working with a team to reach his ultimate goal — to broadcast a World Cup match.

His passion for “football” started 2,800 miles away from the University Park campus in Sogamoso, Colombia. This summer, the broadcast journalism major is bringing his enthusiastic love of the game to the Great Plains. He is the play-by-play announcer for the Des Moines Menace, a semi-professional team in the United Soccer League 2.

“I was definitely one of the millions of kids in Colombia that wanted to be a professional player,” Mendez said. “I always enjoyed talking about the sport and watching it with my family. I played with friends but moving to the U.S. kind of slowed that down.”

Mendez was 13 years old when he and his mother moved to South Florida. He didn’t play after middle school, but he continued watching the sport and keeping up with his favorite teams. He attended the Medical Academy for Science and Technology in Homestead, Florida, with a plan to possibly become a doctor. But, prior to graduation, a conversation back in Colombia with his dad and cousins about college opened a door to the press box. 

“My dad told me that I had a good feel for the game and a great memory for moments, and maybe I should give [broadcasting] a shot,” Mendez said. “I said, ‘You know what, I'm going to do it.’”

Mendez spent much of his senior year of high school researching journalism programs. He landed on the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications. In addition to being listed in many top 10 lists, there were three things that drew him to the program.

“I found out that they were going to build the Bellisario Media Center [completed in 2021] and that caught my eye for sure,” he said. “I wanted a school that had a lot of connections, great alumni, and would give me the full experience of going to college and meeting all sorts of people from everywhere.”

One of those people was Gary Abdullah, assistant dean for diversity and inclusion in the Bellisario College. Through the Bunton-Waller Scholars Program, which helps support Penn State students from underrepresented populations, Mendez got to know Abdullah, and said his guidance and advice — particularly at the start of his Penn State career — were vital to his success.

“I get to talk to Gary often and talk to him about everything,” Mendez said. “He and Emily Miller [the Bellisario College undergraduate recruiter] are the people that helped me into the program. They told me about the media center and how I could implement myself and make great stuff.”

Abdullah said he is inspired by Mendez’s willingness to “go wherever soccer takes him.” He added that the future soccer journalist is one of the most determined students he’s ever met.

"Juan has been focused ever since he stepped on campus [and] he keeps making it happen," Abdullah said. "He's breaking down barriers and going places."

Abdullah added that he's happy to provide the resources and support to help Mendez achieve his dream.

“Someone can have an idea of what they want to do, but have no roadmap to get there,” Abdullah said. “So, the purpose of the Bellisario College is helping establish that path.”

Happy Valley to Des Moines

Even though he grew up in Colombia, Mendez has a unique familiarity with several areas of the United States. With his family currently living in Arlington, Texas, he also is familiar with the United Soccer League. Last summer, Mendez was a photographer for Texas United, a team in the same league as the Menace.

“I remember them talking about Des Moines,” Mendez said. “I always heard that the Menace were a really good quality team, and I always kept an eye on the team and what they were doing.”

Last fall, Mendez started searching for internships and saw positions were available with the Menace. With his heart set on play-by-play, he applied. After some interviews with team leaders, he was offered the position. He started in May.

Mendez is calling all home games this summer, as well as conducting interviews, writing game summaries and feature stories and taking photographs. The regular season began in May and ends in July with a playoff tournament in August. Each team plays 15 games and there are more than 100 teams in the league across the country and in Canada. The Menace play in the Heartland Division.

By August, Mendez said he hopes to be a better broadcaster. He said each day he tries to diversify his skillset and on-air tools. Mendez is bilingual — Spanish is his native language — and he said he hopes that will help him stand out, in addition to his summer in Iowa’s capitol, when he looks for a job next year.

“Showing [employers] that I can do [play-by-play] at Penn State is big,” he said, “Doing it for the [United Soccer League] is a great way to show that I can go to a new market and learn players quickly and give a good broadcast.”

From spectator to broadcaster (and always a fan)

Mendez admitted that since entering the world of sports broadcasting, he watches soccer matches differently. He listens to the announcers more intently. He takes mental notes on what they say, their composure and how they describe a play. He also focuses on the strategy of the teams.

But Mendez will always be a fan, which helps better serve those listening to his broadcasts.

“It goes through shifts, but now it's more about watching the game to enjoy it as a viewer,” he said. “That way I understand what a viewer wants to see and enjoys … and my main focus should be understanding what a fan wants to see.”

Mendez has been able to hone his skills in several ways at the Bellisario College. He said he “never imagined there would be so many opportunities” available to him. The most significant experience so far has been CommRadio, the student-run, online radio station.

“CommRadio kick-started everything,” he said. “I've called volleyball and soccer for them, and I’ve written articles about soccer. Last year, they gave me a position for broadcasting men's soccer games for Big Ten Plus, and that felt like a huge jump.”

Working with the Big Ten, wearing a suit and tie, Mendez said he thought “whoa, this is real.” He said being on camera felt great and tested his ability to broadcast a game live on television. He thanks CommRadio for setting up that experience.  

This summer, it gets even more real. Mendez will join a small cohort of Bellisario College faculty, staff and students on a trip to New Zealand in July. The group will cover the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup for the Associated Press. Mendez will work as a photographer and multimedia journalist as the students deliver content each day of the tournament’s group stage.

“Juan is a rising star,” Abdullah said. “He's good and he's only getting greater. It's not by happenstance. It's what he's working for. That's what I love about a lot of our students. They grind.”

Even though Mendez is constantly developing new skills and taking advantage of opportunities, he maintains a style he describes as “old school.” When preparing for games, he keeps the anecdotes, player names and statistics in an old-fashioned notebook.

“I like writing things down because it helps me remember … and it makes me really connect with the team,” he said. “I make sure my handwriting is good and I really know the names, it helps out a lot. It's like a very personal connection.”

That connection is important, he said, because he knows what soccer means to the players, their families and their hometowns. As the on-air commentator, Mendez is a big part of that, which is a duty he does not take lightly and a responsibility he hopes to take to the highest levels of the game.

Mendez recalled one of his favorite sports moments. He was with family and friends in Colombia when the national team was facing England in the 2018 World Cup. Four minutes past regulation, Colombia tied the game with a header.

“Everyone in the restaurant went crazy,” he said. “I was ecstatic watching everyone. We went from biting our nails to jumping and celebrating … some people were crying. I realized then how beautiful this sport is.”