José Francisco Torres

José Francisco Torres
Personal information
Full name José Francisco Torres Mezzell
Date of birth (1987-10-29) October 29, 1987
Place of birth Longview, Texas, United States
Height 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)
Playing position Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 UANL
Number 17
Youth career
2003–2006 Pachuca
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006–2013 Pachuca 150 (4)
2013– UANL 90 (2)
National team‡
2008–2013 United States 26 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of September 20, 2016.
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of July 28, 2013

José Francisco Torres Mezzell (October 29, 1987), known as "Gringo" Torres, is an American professional soccer player who currently plays for Liga MX club Tigres UANL.

He is usually deployed as a central midfielder but can also play as a full-back. Torres has played for the United States national team.[1]

Early life

Torres was born in Texas to a Mexican father and an American mother.[2] He played two years for Longview High School and was voted the team's MVP both seasons, with 31 goals and 39 assists in total. After his sophomore year, he was scouted and signed by Mexican club Pachuca.

Club career

Torres was recruited by Pachuca while he was still attending high school in Texas.[2] He broke into the starting lineup during the 2008 Apertura season in central midfield. He appeared in all three matches at the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup for Pachuca, starting twice. In the InterLiga 2009 Final, Torres scored the clinching penalty kick that sent Pachuca through to the Copa Libertadores 2009.[3] On November 2012, he was transferred to Tigres UANL. On December 22, 2012, Torres made his debut with Tigres on a friendly match against Pumas UNAM in the Estadio Universitario. Tigres was the Apertura 2015 champion and Torres played the second leg of the final.

International career

Torres was eligible to choose between representing Mexico, the nation of his father's heritage and where he played club football, or his native United States. Both national federations had been tracking Torres' progress at Pachuca.[4]

Torres was invited by Peter Nowak to play for the United States U-23 team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Torres declined the invitation when Pachuca promised a position in their starting lineup if he stayed with the club.[2] However, only three months later, on October 2, 2008, Torres announced his intention to represent the United States at the international level, and was called in to the U.S. camp by Bob Bradley within days.[2]

He made his U.S. debut against Cuba on October 11, 2008, coming on as a substitute for Heath Pearce in the sixty-eighth minute. He made his first start against Trinidad and Tobago four days later. Torres was also included in the roster that played against Mexico in February 2009, but did not play. He was a member of the U.S. squad for the 2009 Confederations Cup but did not play in the tournament. He was selected to the 23-man roster to represent the United States at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and started a group stage game against Slovenia.[5]

Torres continued to be a part of the US set up under Bradley's successor, Jürgen Klinsmann, and was part of the qualification cycle for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Despite being a part of the 2013 Gold Cup winning team, he ended falling outside of Klinsmann's plans, and ultimately was not part of the US team that went to the World Cup in Brazil.

Career Statistics

Club

As of September 18, 2013.[6]
Club Season Liga MX Liguilla Copa MX CONCACAF Champions League Other Total
Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists
Pachuca 2006–07 100——————000———100
2007–08 1002——————000———1002
2008–09 3011610———0008[lower-alpha 1]003621
2009–10 2811400———901———4112
2010–11 2700200———0002[lower-alpha 2]002900
2011–12 2406200———000———2606
2012–13 1311———210000———1521
Total 13331114102109011000168512
UANL
2012–13 1500200———100———1800
2013–14 700————————————700
Total2200200———100———2500
Career total155311161021010001000193523
  1. ↑ Three appearances in the FIFA Club World Cup, Three appearances in the InterLiga and Two appearances in the Copa Libertadores.
  2. ↑ Appearances in the FIFA Club World Cup.

International

As of December 15, 2014.
National teamYearAppsGoals
United States
200820
200950
201040
201130
201260
201360
201400
Total260

Honors

Club

Pachuca
Tigres UANL

International

United States

References

  1. ↑ "Torres Commits to USA". The Washington Post.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Bell, Jack (January 6, 2009). "After Honing Game in Mexico, Jose Torres will play for US". The New York Times. p. B16. Retrieved January 6, 2009.
  3. ↑ Canales, Andrea (January 12, 2009). "Torres happy he chose Team USA". Sports Illustrated. Carson, California: Time Inc. Retrieved January 14, 2009.
  4. ↑ "Young midfielder Torres is ahead of his time on U.S. national team". CNN. August 11, 2009.
  5. ↑ "Match 22 - Group C". FIFA.com. June 18, 2010. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
  6. ↑ José Francisco Torres (October 29, 1987). "José Francisco Torres Profile, Statistics, News, Game Log". Pachuca, Primera División de México. ESPN Soccernet. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
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