Canales Daily: Torres Takes It To Another Level

By Andrea Canales

Sometimes when things are decided, the energy spent mulling over options is no longer wasted and one can focus on moving ahead. Such might be the case for Jose Francisco Torres, the Mexican-American who has settled his national team fate with the United States.

Torres was only 16 when scouts for Pachuca, one of the top teams in Mexico, spotted him in his home state of Texas. He joined their program, moving down to Mexico to train with the squad, which nurtured his development.

In fact, Torres turned down an Olympic opportunity to focus on earning a regular starting spot with Pachuca. The United States had invited him to the tournament. Mexico, of course, did not have the option to bring in Torres for the Summer Games, because they had been foiled in their qualifying efforts.

Either of the two countries was a valid possibility for Torres - like Michael Orozco, who chose to play for the U.S., and Edgar Castillo, who chose Mexico - he is a citizen of both lands.

However, it likely swayed Torres when Mexico coach Sven Goran Erickson called in a number of younger players for a friendly versus Chile in September of this past year, but neglected to put the young midfielder on the list.

The United States was also persistent. When Bob Bradley offered a full national team opportunity (again, unlike Mexico, group advancement was assured early on, so the U.S. had the luxury of trying untested players), Torres decided to accept the invite.

“He’s a regular starter for Pachuca,” Sunil Gulati, U.S. Soccer Federation president noted “He’s a left-footed player. We were in a place in qualifying that was unique. Those were all factors for Bob [Bradley].”

Torres debuted for the U.S. against Cuba in the center of the midfield. The pint-sized midfielder is versatile and can perform out wide as well, offering the U.S. different options.

Torres will in fact be at the Home Depot Center this January, but as not part of Bradley's January national team camp. That's set up to take an in-depth look at Major League Soccer and Scandinavian-based American talent, since those leagues share off-seasons at this time.

Pachuca, however, plays InterLiga games in Los Angeles, beginning with a match versus Morelia on the 8th of January. Torres and his club team are off to an impressive start in the tournament, having thumped Tecos in a 4-0 victory out in Pizza Hut Park in Texas.

The match was close enough to where his family still lives that they were able to come out and cheer him on. Whether that played a part in Pachuca's comprehensive win is unknown.

The Tuzos (Spanish for gophers, since Pachuca was founded as a mining community), as they are called, are one of the most cohesive, tactical and technical teams in Mexico. That Torres seems to have settled into a regular starting spot with the squad is no small feat.

At only 21, Torres has a star-bright future ahead of him. His sacrifice in moving to Mexico has paid off. Torres has now progressed with his club to the point where his impressive form may win him more national team opportunities. Bradley, who always attends InterLiga games in Los Angeles, now has more incentive than ever to view the matches.

Chinese astrology designates 2009 as the year of the Ox. However, if Torres has anything to say about it, and his fast start would indicate that he intends to, it may wind up the year of the Gopher.

Andrea Canales is Chief Editor of Goal.com USA