Portillo was in the midst of a second consecutive strong season for the Battery, with six goals and four assists in 26 regular-season appearances last year, continuing to establish him as one of the key players for the historic club. His ability to control the flow of the game in the center of the field, and accuracy from set pieces, made him a valuable asset to Battery Head Coach Mike Anhaeuser, and could put him on the radar to be the next Battery player to make the move to MLS.

“He’s one of those guys that does things off the field that he does on the field too, so we’re looking to him to take it to another level,” Anhaeuser said. “His free kicks, his ability to play the ball in, we only hope he grows and gets better this season and keep developing his pace, and who knows, he might be in Atlanta or another MLS camp like some of our other players have been.”

Portillo’s presence for the Battery has also been valuable for Anhaeuser in the locker room. As he enters his fourth year with the club, Portillo’s role as a leader within the club alongside fellow veterans like Taylor Mueller and Maikel Chang has brought the same continuity that Portillo experience when he first arrived as a rookie in 2014.

“I was fortunate my rookie year and second year to have real good guys to look up to and teach me the ropes, and going forward I’m trying to do the same for the new guys we get this year,” Portillo said. “For the young guys, if we get a couple of guys on loan, [we can] be somebody they can look up to that’s been in the league for four years now. Hopefully I can be a real good asset to those guys.”