SOCCER HOUSE AWAKES Brent Latham - Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Yuri Cortez/Getty
Torres in Mexican League
This may not be what you expect to hear from me, but coach Bob Bradley and the leadership of US soccer merit congratulations this week, and not for the long overdue calls for Freddy Adu and Josmer Altidore.
That decision was a lay-up: those two should be in the squad whenever it is in their best interest to be, from here through 2014, at least.
No, Bradley and company deserve props for the call-up of another, less well known Yank Abroad. That man is Jose Francisco Torres.
Torres, a left sided midfielder who plays for Pachuca of the Mexican first division, is the biggest surprise call-in for the Nats in quite some time. The fact that he is being given the chance to impress by Bradley potentially answers many of the long-standing doubts so many fans, and yours truly, have had about the direction that US soccer is taking.
The inclusion of Torres suggests a number of interesting developments at US Soccer House.
Immediately, on the field, Torres may be a good tactical choice on a left side of midfield that is looking uncharacteristically bare. With Bobby Convey and DaMarcus Beasley injury prone and seeing little time with their clubs, now is the ideal time for a new option to emerge, if nothing else to push the incumbents.
If Torres, who has one goal in ten games of action this season with Pachuca, is given time to challenge Beasley, it will be a sign that Bradley is serious about promoting competition, rather than handing starts to the same old group, regardless of their level of play with club or country. Competition in the squad is good for everyone.
But Torres' inclusion also suggests important developments outside the lines.
Perhaps more important than Torres' immediate on-field contribution is what his call says about the federation's player radar. Here is initial proof that, in terms of young Americans from non traditional soccer backgrounds - those who haven't played in the youth national team structure, college, or MLS - the federation leadership may now be on the case, after years of dropping the ball.
Americans now ply their soccer trade in dozens of leagues globally, and keeping track of them can be time consuming affair, one which YA readers have become quite adept at.
The inclusion of Torres, who moved to Mexico five years ago to pursue his professional options, suggests that Bob Bradley and company are on the ball in keeping an eye on all their options, far-flung or under the radar though they may be.
In fact, media reports suggest Bradley swooped Torres out from under Mexico's collective noses. Torres told the Mexican media last week that he turned down a chance to play in the Olympics for the United States to wait for a call from the Tri-Color. But Bradley persisted, and the young midfielder agreed. When Mexico found out, Torres says they tried to call him in, but he had made his choice.
This will help worried US fans with a lingering Giuseppe Rossi complex to understand that young Americans with merit who want to play for the US will be recruited, an maybe cut down on those who call for the capping of every dual-national over ten years of age who touches a soccer ball.
The powers that be in Chicago, it seems, are indeed aware of young American stars developing and playing abroad, many of whom, like Torres, could choose to play for other national teams. Though some cases, like the high profile one of Borussia Dortmund defender Neven Subotic, are still up in the air, perhaps the federation is getting its act together on this issue.
At any rate, Bradley's approach is a far cry from Bruce Arena's "let them come to us" approach.
If only the federation had acted before New Mexico native and rising star Edgar Castillo opted to play internationally for Mexico, the US could now have two bright Mexican-Americans stars on the left side of the field. At least the federation seems to have learned from its mistake with Castillo, and started working on Torres early.
At twenty years of age, the Texas native brings even more youth to the national team as well. Twenty is mature in most of the soccer world, but in the US we can count our competitive professional soccer players of that age on two hands. To see so many young players getting a look is another good sign for the future.
Still, as much as I'd like to proclaim the arrival of the American youth movement, I've been tricked by Bradley before.
This summer before the friendlies against England, Spain, and Argentina, the coach called in a diversified roster featuring a host of young prospects, suggesting an inclination to try a wide range of new options in the long process of tweaking the roster with an eventual eye on South Africa.
Then, Bradley went on to take extended looks at Josh Wolff and Pablo Mastroeni, while leaving most of the youth movement out completely.
For this week I'm willing to call that water under the bridge. Bradley has taken the first step towards redemption in my book, albeit for almost meaningless matches. In the next week, the embattled skipper could even put a lineup similar to the Olympic squad on the field and test their mettle against the elimination threatened Caribbean squads, who are playing for survival.
On the other hand, the old Bradley we've come to know, more conservative than a Texas barbecue, has also called in most everyone that was on the field for the last two qualifiers. We could see a rehash of the summer shenanigans, with lineups ignoring most of the young stars.
My guess is something in between. This week though, along with congratulations on calling in half a roster of change, coach Bradley gets a pass from me.
The opinions expressed are those of the author only. While others at Yanks Abroad may hold similar opinions, they do not represent the views of Yanks Abroad or any of our partners.
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