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Tuesday, June 30, 2009

US midfielder Jose Francisco Torres believes it is a blessing in disguise that his name was left off of the Gold Cup roster.

Although Torres did not see any playing time during the US' run to the finals of the Confederations Cup, the Pachuca man is glad to finally have some vacation time on his hands.

"I've worked and played the last year and a half without any rest," Torres told YA on Sunday. "The truth is that I want to go to the Gold Cup, but my body cannot. I really need to spend some time recuperating and resting."

The native of Longview, Texas was an integral part of the Tuzos' run to the Mexican Clausura finals and has recently been linked with a move to Spanish club Deportivo de la Coruna.

However, for the moment, Torres notes that he plans to return to Mexico to rest and then start preparing for this fall's Apertura season.

"I'll return to Pachuca after spending some time resting to get ready for the season," added the diminutive midfielder.

Torres joined up with the US national team shortly after Pachuca's defeat in the Clausura finals against Pumas. 'El Gringo' then went on to start the June 3rd loss versus Costa Rica, but was substituted out at halftime and has not seen the field since.

Despite his own lack of playing time for head coach Bob Bradley's squad, 'El Gringo' was still thrilled to see his teammates make such an exciting run to the finals.

"I think we played a really good game but at the end, just couldn't get the result we wanted," Torres summed up.

joeypav10

Wednesday July 1, 2009 8:26 pm

When will this kid get his shot?

Adu

Wednesday July 1, 2009 11:00 am

http://ryannoel.wordpress.com/2009/07/01/us-will-add-7-to-gold-cup-roster/

I would like to see Torres, but it looks like he needs the rest.

Ed C.

Wednesday July 1, 2009 2:46 am

agree. he should have played, esp. if kjestan got playing time. that guy is horrible! we definitely need a new coach!

the problem with US Soccer is that you don't have the right guys in place. Rogen, or whatever his name is - look how he puts a team together. pathetic! he wants his players to bleed red, white and blue, but i think he is referring to the red, white and blue of the dutch flag, not the american one!

we need decent coaches in the system otherwise we'll have to settle for the occasional win due to poor team selections.

colin

Wednesday July 1, 2009 2:22 am

Brazil showed the USA that the best defense is a better offense. Sure we scored because of Maicon's indiscretion the few times we had the ball but once Brazil figured us out we looked like a one trick pony out there. Words like possession, distribution, vision and calm all whirl around Torres yet Bradley still thinks the best offense is a good defense.

Where does he get off stating that "45 minutes is not enough?" Does he really think that one tournament glosses over his failed euro attempts and multiple disappearance acts since 2002? If you're such a team leader take the younger guys under your wing instead of whining to the press. Torres has more class than Landon.

mario jordan

Wednesday July 1, 2009 12:07 am

my only gues is that BRADLEY doesnt like the kind of style TORRES and ADU PLAY.he wants hard tackles in the midfield .we saw how well that worked.i tell you one thing,.if this players don't get any playing time now ,they might be out of next year WORLD CUP.

dude

Tuesday June 30, 2009 10:38 pm

I think it is Great that he is not chafing publicly... yet. I rejoice in the fact that he is currently 21, and his prime will come well past Bradley.

I honestly think this guy brings a lot of calmness to the midfield that two defensive midfielders never muster. What I would hope Bob should learn from the Brazil game is that the best are not beaten with tackles alone. If they have the ball every second of a half, bad things will happen. We need to add the passing and possession aspect to our play.

We don't have to be better than Brazil or Spain at keeping possession. But we need to compete. I think Torres is an admirable addition, that we will see a lot of, Bradley or no.

Matthew - Houston

Tuesday June 30, 2009 10:07 pm

Torres has been amazing for the US. He brings the creative element that the team is missing and I have to say that I still disagree with giving Kljestan and Feilhaber the nod ahead of Torres......enjoy the rest Mr. Torres because I'm sure the time will come soon enough.

Dave L

Tuesday June 30, 2009 7:02 pm

Torres is going to end up being a stud for the US team. I think that he lost his playing time because he is not very strong defensively... that will come with age and experience. But his distribution and calm demeanor on the ball is something that the US really needs. He'll be back in the roster and hopefully getting more playing time once qualifications start again.

grady36

Tuesday June 30, 2009 6:02 pm

There is more than meets the eye with this whole Torres thing. Too many question marks and unfortunately there is no press or media seriously looking into US Soccer so the fans will never know the truth. Imagine if in England Walcott didn't get any playing time after a single half and then didn't get a call up to the next tournament. The media would be hounding Fabio for an explanation. Here all we have is a couple of blogs. It obvious that fans across the board want to hear why Torres isn't getting the opportunities he deserves.

David R.

Tuesday June 30, 2009 5:23 pm

Adu, Feilhaber, and Torres are creative ballhandlers. It took a red card for Feilhaber to get a start. Torres got some playing time and then was banished after showing how good he is and what potential the team would have with players like him. Adu never even got an opportunity. Torres can try to be diplomatic and say he welcomes the rest, but he is on the nepotismist Bradley's dog list-for what reason? Anybodies guess. Bradley must go and the sooner the better.

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