José Francisco Torres

José Francisco Torres Mezzell (born October 29, 1987), also known as "Gringo", is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for USL Championship club Rio Grande Valley FC.

This article is about the American soccer player. For other uses, see José Torres (disambiguation).

José Francisco Torres
Personal information
Full name José Francisco Torres Mezzell[1]
Date of birth (1987-10-29) October 29, 1987
Place of birth Longview, Texas, United States
Height 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Rio Grande Valley FC
Number 7
Youth career
2003–2006 Pachuca
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006–2013 Pachuca 151 (4)
2013–2019 Tigres UANL 99 (2)
2018–2019 → Puebla (loan) 11 (1)
2021 Colorado Springs Switchbacks 26 (1)
2022– Rio Grande Valley FC 41 (2)
International career‡
2008–2013 United States 26 (0)
Medal record
Representing  United States
FIFA Confederations Cup
Runner-up2009 South AfricaTeam
CONCACAF Gold Cup
WinnerCONCACAF Gold Cup2013
Men's Soccer
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:29, October 16, 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of July 28, 2013

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.[3]

Early life

Torres was born in Texas to a Mexican father and an American mother.[4] 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.[4] 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.[5] In November 2012, he was transferred to Tigres UANL. On December 22, 2012, Torres made his debut with Tigres in 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.

On November 25, 2020, after more than two years without playing a professional game, Torres joined USL Championship side Colorado Springs Switchbacks ahead of their 2021 season.[6]

On February 21, 2022, Torres signed with USL Championship side Rio Grande Valley FC.[7]

International career

Torres was eligible to choose between representing Mexico, the nation of his father's heritage and where he played club soccer, or his native United States. Both national federations had been tracking Torres' progress at Pachuca.[8]

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.[4] 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.[4]

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.[9]

Torres continued to be a part of the U.S. 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 U.S. team that went to the World Cup in Brazil.

Career statistics

Club
As of October 14, 2023[10]
Club Season League Playoffs National Cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists
Pachuca 2006–07 Liga MX 100————————————100
2007–08 1002————————————1002
2008–09 30116[lower-alpha 1]10———2[lower-alpha 2]003[lower-alpha 3]004121
2009–10 28114[lower-alpha 1]000009[lower-alpha 4]01———4112
2010–11 27002[lower-alpha 1]00———2[lower-alpha 4]004[lower-alpha 5][lower-alpha 6]003500
2011–12 24062[lower-alpha 1]00—————————2606
2012–13 1311———2[lower-alpha 7]10–––———1521
Total 13331114102101301700169513
Tigres UANL 2012–13 Liga MX 15002[lower-alpha 1]00———1[lower-alpha 4]00———1800
2013–14 700–––10[lower-alpha 7]30——————1730
2014–15 2100–––7[lower-alpha 7]102[lower-alpha 2]00———3010
2015–16 1400———1[lower-alpha 7]007[lower-alpha 4]10———2210
2016–17 1700——————1[lower-alpha 4]001[lower-alpha 8]001900
2017–18 100———1[lower-alpha 7]003[lower-alpha 4]001[lower-alpha 8]00500
Puebla 2018–19 1110———1[lower-alpha 7]00——————1110
Total86102002040141020012410
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC 2021 USL Championship 2010———–––——————2010
Rio Grande Valley FC 2022 2200———–––——————2200
2023 2110———100——————2210
Total63200001000000006420
Career total3826111610235027119004571312
  1. Appearance(s) in La Liguilla
  2. Appearance(s) in Copa Libertadores
  3. Appearance(s) in Interliga
  4. Appearance(s) in CONCACAF Champions League
  5. Two appearance(s) in FIFA Club World Cup
  6. Two appearance(s) in North American Superliga
  7. Appearance(s) in Copa MX
  8. Appearance(s) in Campeón de Campeones

International
As of July 28, 2013
National teamYearAppsGoals
United States
200820
200950
201040
201130
201260
201360
201420
Total280

Honors

Pachuca

Tigres UANL

United States

References
  1. "FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2008 Presented By TOYOTA — List Of Players" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. December 5, 2008. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 9, 2008.
  2. "Mexico - José Torres - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". us.soccerway.com. Archived from the original on May 14, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
  3. "Torres Commits to USA". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 28, 2012. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
  4. Bell, Jack (January 6, 2009). "After Honing Game in Mexico, Jose Torres will play for US". The New York Times. p. B16. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved January 6, 2009.
  5. Canales, Andrea (January 12, 2009). "Torres happy he chose Team USA". Sports Illustrated. Carson, California: Time Inc. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved January 14, 2009.
  6. "Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC Sign U.S. World Cup Veteran José Francisco Torres". www.switchbacksfc.com. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  7. USLChampionship com Staff (February 21, 2022). "Jose Francisco Torres Joins Rio Grande Valley FC". USL Championship. Archived from the original on February 21, 2022. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  8. "Young midfielder Torres is ahead of his time on U.S. national team". CNN. August 11, 2009. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
  9. "Match 22 - Group C". FIFA.com. June 18, 2010. Archived from the original on December 30, 2010. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
  10. José Francisco Torres (October 29, 1987). "José Francisco Torres Profile, Statistics, News, Game Log". Pachuca, Primera División de México. ESPN Soccernet. Archived from the original on June 15, 2010. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
  11. "USA 1–0 Panama – as it happened". Guardian UK. July 28, 2013. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.