José Francisco Torres

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José Francisco Torres
Personal information
Full name José Francisco Torres Mezzell
Date of birth (1987-10-29) October 29, 1987 (age 34)
Place of birth Longview, Texas, United States
Height 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)[1]
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
Rio Grande Valley FC
Number 10
Youth career
2003–2006 Pachuca
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006–2013 Pachuca 151 (4)
2013–2019 Tigres UANL 99 (2)
2018–2019Puebla (loan) 11 (1)
2021 Colorado Springs Switchbacks 26 (1)
2022– Rio Grande Valley FC 0 (0)
National team
2008–2013 United States 26 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of October 31, 2021
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of July 28, 2013

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.

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.[2]

Early life[]

Torres was born in Texas to a Mexican father and an American mother.[3] 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.[3] 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.[4] 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.[5]

On February 21, 2022, Torres signed with USL Championship side Rio Grande Valley FC.[6]

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.[7]

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.[3] 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.[3]

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.[8]

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 September 18, 2013[9]
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 200607 1 0 0 1 0 0
200708 10 0 2 10 0 2
200809 30 1 1 6 1 0 8[a] 0 0 36 2 1
200910 28 1 1 4 0 0 9 0 1 41 1 2
201011 27 0 0 2 0 0 2[b] 0 0 29 0 0
201112 24 0 6 2 0 0 26 0 6
201213 13 1 1 2 1 0 15 2 1
Total 133 3 11 14 1 0 2 1 0 9 0 1 10 0 0 168 5 12
Tigres UANL
201213 15 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 18 0 0
201314 7 0 0 7 0 0
Total 22 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 25 0 0
Career total 155 3 11 16 1 0 2 1 0 10 0 0 10 0 0 193 5 23
  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 July 28, 2013
National team Year Apps Goals
United States
2008 2 0
2009 5 0
2010 4 0
2011 3 0
2012 6 0
2013 6 0
Total 26 0

Honors[]

Pachuca

Tigres UANL

United States

References[]

  1. ^ "Mexico - José Torres - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". us.soccerway.com.
  2. ^ "Torres Commits to USA". The Washington Post.
  3. ^ a b c d 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.
  4. ^ Canales, Andrea (January 12, 2009). "Torres happy he chose Team USA". Sports Illustrated. Carson, California: Time Inc. Retrieved January 14, 2009.
  5. ^ "Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC Sign U.S. World Cup Veteran José Francisco Torres". www.switchbacksfc.com.
  6. ^ https://www.uslchampionship.com/news_article/show/1210840
  7. ^ "Young midfielder Torres is ahead of his time on U.S. national team". CNN. August 11, 2009.
  8. ^ "Match 22 - Group C". FIFA.com. June 18, 2010. Archived from the original on December 30, 2010. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
  9. ^ 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.

External links[]

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