MLS held a golden ticket in its hands this winter. The loan deal for Erick Torres provided an option to make the deal permanent this month. There were details to sort out and particulars to cement, but the league held the future of a 21-year-old Mexico forward in its grasp.
These opportunities do not come along often. Liga MX teams cultivate talented prospects and then lock them down for extended periods of time. Few of them even consider moving to the United States. Torres slipped through the net because he flailed around after a bright start at Chivas Guadalajara and saw himself shipped out on loan to MLS and Chivas USA as a result.
Chivas USA benefited from his prolific resurgence during its painful denouement, but its demise after this season left MLS with a quandary to solve. Cubo needed a club. And the circumstances -- including a reported transfer fee in the $7 million bracket -- limited the list of suitors considerably.
One by one, the possible destinations slipped off the radar. LA Galaxy probably made the most sense from a geographic standpoint after Torres’ spell with Chivas USA, but the MLS Cup winners didn’t need a forward. Seattle fell into the same category. The two New York teams held different plans. Chicago opted to sign Sweden-based duo David Accam and Kennedy Igboananike to fill their Designated Player desires. Other potential contenders lacked the capital, the desire or the DP slots to make this sort of expensive move.
Houston eventually stood tall as the destination of choice, as Goal.com reported last week. It made sense on and off the field. The investor/operators signed off on the significant expenditure. There were a few details left to sort -- MLS agreed to send Torres on loan to Chivas for the Clausura to aid the flailing Mexican giants in their fight against relegation and presumably reduce the purchase price -- before the final unveiling, but the final outcome made sense for all parties in the end.
The expected outcome arrived as an early Christmas present on Tuesday night. Torres is headed to Houston on a five-year deal, the Dynamo confirmed.
“This is a monumental signing. We are thrilled to welcome Cubo to the Dynamo,” Dynamo president Chris Canetti said in a statement. “He strengthens our team and brings excitement to our fan base. He is a dynamic player that will be fun to watch and an excellent young man that will be a great ambassador in our community.”
At this price point, Houston needs Torres to do more than score goals. His expensive arrival constitutes a statement of intent from the Dynamo to expand its reach within the community and solidify itself as a MLS Cup contender once more. He is the conduit to greater success on and off the field.
It is a gamble worth taking on a player with considerable potential and potentially lucrative resale value, but success is not guaranteed. Houston grasps the pitfalls all too well after former Mexico starlet Luis Angel Landin flopped as the club’s first Designated Player in 2009. Landin joined on loan from Morelia with the promise of a Copa America appearance on his CV, but he failed to exert the expected impact. He departed after scoring just twice in 16 appearances. His considerable fitness issues and his ensuing career trajectory -- including a variety of loan stints in the top three Mexican divisions -- offered a cautionary tale about choosing wisely.
Torres constitutes a much smaller risk given his track record in MLS. His time with Chivas USA and his willingness to cast his lot in the United States for the medium-term reflects well on his investment in the club. His industry in the final third and his predatory instincts inside the penalty area fit neatly within an evolving side now under the auspices of the recently appointed Owen Coyle. The incoming Dynamo manager must mold a cohesive and expansive side around his new striker, though commitments elsewhere might keep Torres from featuring consistently until after the Liga MX Clausura and the CONCACAF Gold Cup conclude.
It is by no means ideal to wait for a player of Torres’ caliber, but there is no rush, either. The next few years present a wealth of opportunities for Torres and the Dynamo. He now boasts a genuine chance to establish himself as a fixture in the Mexican national team picture and fight his way onto the Olympic squad. His decision to choose MLS and move to Houston provides him with a firm grounding to pursue those objectives. It is a coup for the league and the Dynamo to entice a player of Torres' promise to cast his lot in the United States.
Even if Torres eventually moves overseas or returns to Mexico, the decision to splash the cash on him will withstand scrutiny. MLS needed to act decisively to take advantage of the situation. This is the sort of opportunity the league could not afford to squander. This outcome supplies everyone involved with the best possible opportunity to redeem that golden ticket and revel in its benefits for some time to come.
