Jesús Bernárdez Batiz (born June 14, 1999) is a Honduran professional footballer who currently plays for Toronto FC II in MLS Next Pro.
Early life
Batiz was born to parents from Triunfo de la Cruz, Honduras and holds dual American and Honduran nationality. He played youth club soccer with American Scores.
In 2017, he led his high school, Boston International HS, to the Boston City League title, scoring a hat trick in the championship final and winning MVP honors. He attended the school from 2015 to 2018, being named Boston City League Player of the year twice, and being named to the All-Decade team in 2020, having scored 70 goals in his four years, including 63 in his final two seasons.
Club career
In 2019, he played with Mass United FC in the United Premier Soccer League.
In August 2019, he signed with Greek club Aiolikos in the Gamma Ethniki. He joined as a result of a partnership formed between Mass United and Aiolikos. On February 2, 2020, he made his debut for the club against Marko.
He then returned to Mass United FC. In 2021, he played for Mass United in the NISA Independence Cup against New Amsterdam FC, who became impressed with his performance and signed him to a professional contract for their season in NISA.
In February 2022, he signed with MLS Next Pro side Rochester New York FC. He scored his first goal for the club on May 11 in a 3–1 loss in the US Open Cup match against Major League Soccer club New York City FC.
In March 2023, he signed with Toronto FC II in MLS Next Pro. He made his club debut on March 27, 2023 against FC Cincinnati 2. On April 23, 2023, he scored his first goal and also recorded his first assist for Toronto FC II against Philadelphia Union II. In July 2023, he signed a short-term loan with the Toronto FC first team. He made his Major League Soccer debut on July 4 against Orlando City SC. He signed an additional short-term loan on July 8. After making two MLS appearances, he signed another short-term loan ahead of a Leagues Cup match against Mexican club Atlas.