FLORES ASSUMING LEAD ROLE Arch Bell - Tuesday, September 29, 2009
With the apparent head injury to team captain Kyle Davies, multi-dimensional United States Under-20 player Jorge Flores may be spending his immediate future at left back for head coach Thomas Rongen's squad.
Flores was an unexpected first half substitute in Saturday's 3-0 defeat to Germany after Davies was forced to leave the field after taking a knock to his head.
The introduction of the CD Chivas man into the match provided some spark to the Red, White and Blue, but Flores still recognized that the European champions were the better team overall.
"Germany was strong and well organized," Flores told YA in Egypt. "We have alot of respect for them. We lost to a good team and we will try to do things better next time."
When pressed as to what made the Germans so effective, the Anaheim, California native was quick to note that the match was lost in the center of the field.
"We knew that Germany likes to play the counterattack, but we lost the midfield and they dominated play in the middle."
Flores is widely considered to be a jack-of-all-trades for his ability to play in various positions so it is not surprising to learn that he was not undaunted by filling in on a moment's notice on the left side.
"I've had games at Chivas at defender where I've played on the left," continued the youngster. "I feel fine and comfortable there even though my preferred position is right midfielder."
The Golden State resident spent the large part of his youth growing up in Guanajuato, Mexico before making his way with his family north to Orange County.
Following his high school graduation in 2007, Flores entered Sueno MLS, a reality show contest that pitted 2,000 participants all searching for a shot at a Major League Soccer tryout.
Flores emerged as the winner of the competition which set off a whirlwind of a journey that has now brought him to Egypt with the US Under-20 team.
El Sueno, as he is nicknamed, is proud to be representing the Stars and Stripes even though Flores concedes that he has taken some ribbing by those even close to him.
"It has been a tough situation because my parents, friends and family are all Mexican," he grinned. "But they all support me and are glad that I'm here."
Flores and the rest of the US U-20 team return to action on Tuesday versus Cameroon in Suez.
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