BRADENTON, Fla. – Twenty hours. That’s how long it takes Revolution II winger Alex Monis to travel to the Philippines every time he’s called up to represent his national team. But for him, it’s all worth it.

Monis received his first call-up to represent the Philippines in May of last year, having established himself as one of the leading scorers on New England’s second team. Born in Downer’s Grove, Illinois, Monis has had the chance to represent both the United States U-16s and the Philippines on the international stage. His Filipino heritage comes from his father's side, and while Monis has always felt connected to the culture, he feels more Filipino now than ever.

“I think joining the Philippines has really brought me closer to my roots,” he said. “I was in touch with my Filipino side for sure, but once you go there and you’re in the country, around the language, the food, everything, and really immerse yourself in it, it has definitely built up my Filipino culture.”

In his most recent call-up to play with the Philippines – to compete in the ASEAN Championship – Monis was able to help the Philippine National Team defeat Thailand in a historic win for the country. In the first leg of the ASEAN Championship semifinals, the Philippines came out victorious against Thailand for the first time in 52 years.

“In the whole tournament in general I think we overachieved,” explained Monis. “People never assumed we would even make it to the semifinals, and Thailand is considered one of the best teams in Southeast Asia. So, a lot of people were writing us out from that game. Luckily, we go into the first leg at home and played really well and got the win.

“It was really exciting for us as a team and the whole country because the Philippines isn’t primarily known as a football nation, it’s more basketball. So, the people really got behind us after this tournament because they saw we could compete at a high level.”

Monis describes the moment as a “resurgence of football in the Philippines” and says there is a totally new energy around the national team now.

“We’re re-sparking the interest in football in the Philippines. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it to the final, but it was still a big win for us,” he said. “To be a part of that spark is such a good feeling because you know we are driving in the right direction. It’s exactly what you out want out of these experiences.”

After the big win, Monis was filled with so much pride that he wanted to share it. By himself, he researched and found a tattoo artist to give him a Filipino tribal tattoo, featuring the Filippino sun from the Philippines flag and an intricate design filled with meaning. For a first tattoo, he wasn’t sure how it would go, but now he sees it as testament to his Filipino culture and the impact he was able to make with his team.

Now in Florida for preseason training with Revs II, Monis has his eye on the season ahead. “It’s always good to be back with the guys after a long offseason,” he explained. “For us, right now it’s about getting familiar with some new faces and continuing to build off what we did last year. We didn’t quite achieve the results that we wanted, but I think we have a good squad this year and we are going to keep building.”

Prior to coming to New England, Monis played with Chicago Fire FC as a Homegrown Player. He made three appearances with the first team and scored one goal ... funnily enough, against the New England Revolution.

“It’s a bit funny,” he said. “In that moment, I wasn’t thinking that I would end up being here right now with the Revs, but now it’s really come full circle.”

That moment, although maybe not memorable for the Revs, was a proud moment for Monis – scoring his first MLS goal in front of his family. He describes it as a moment when everything paid off, for him and them. “They’ve always been supporting me throughout my entire career. Whether it was driving me to practice or bringing me to long away trips, they have always helped me and supported me.”

Looking ahead, Monis says it is only up from here. “The bare minimum is to be higher in the table and get more points. For me individually, I want to score more goals and get more assists. I want to bring that winning culture that I got to experience in the offseason in the Philippines to the Revs for both the first and the second team I hope we see a lot more wins this year.”