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Soccer goals: The central midfield position is considered the deepest of the USMNT, but several injuries to key player has left the defensive-midfield cupboard empty, as the Red, White, and Blue prepare to face Netherlands on March 3rd.

 

Soccer Videos: Torres 25-yard bomb against Puebla

 

 

With injuries to Ricardo Clark, Jermaine Jones, Benny Feilhaber, and Maurice Edu (who has since returned the Ranger's first team but has seen little playing time since last April), Coach Bradley should be grateful for the remaining in-form prospects, Michael Bradley and Jose Francisco Torres, a player who could offer a different look to the team that will, also, be missing Clint Dempsey, Charlie Davies, and Oguchi Oneyewu.

 

Focusing on the central midfield that will face the likes of De Jong, Van Bommel, and Sneijder (or several other midfield scenarios), Coach Bradley might have to consider adapting a different philospy against the highly talented Oranje,  a team that should hold a majority of the possession during the game.

 

With fewer horses in the stable to corral Oranje's beautiful football, feisty and diminutive midfielder, Jose Francisco Torres, could earn a starting spot, if Bradley elects the most in-form central midfielder. The Texas native has been performing admirably in league play, where he recently admitted that he had previously rested on his laurels which caused a dip in his play. However, his game has reached new levels as he has earned back his starting position and plays with a newly found confidence evident in the 22-year old.

 

Previously, Torres' play has offered a mix-bag of reviews on the international stage, where he has been both praised and criticized for the qualifiers against Costa Rica. His major playing time started in El Salvador as a second-half substitute, offering quick exchanges and accurate crossing, while inspiring a stagnant offense to score two-late-game goals resulting in a 2-2 draw. That performance earned the respect of the coaching staff, where his starting debut unfolded tragically against Costa Rica in Saprissa Stadium, resulting in the 3-1 beat down.

 

As Torres burdened a share of the blame for the defeat, grading his debut performance based on the US' performance is unfair, when the coaching staff should shoulder the majority of the  blame for starting with an experimental 4-3-3, that included veteran Pablo Maestroni a fading component in the USMNT scene, while failing to cover ground and offering little leadership. To make matters worse, Bradley debuted two new wing-backs Marvell Wynne and newly-minted left back, DaMarcus Beasley (an experiment that was scrapped shortly after that performance). It is safe to say, that his debut performance should have received amnesty or at least an asterik for the tactical meltdown.

 

Fast forward to the final hexagonal qualifier against Costa Rica, where Gringo Torres shined brightly as a holding midfielder -- a similar style of play that Claudio Reyna demonstrated for both club and country -- sparking the offense, facilitating possession, and providing crucial defensive stops. His play will not be forgotten by US fans, and he should receive similar accolades from Catracho fans, who adore Jonathan Bornstein for his header and triumphant heroics to qualify Honduras for South Africa.

 

Now parlaying his international experience with his club play, despite his small stature but creative flair, the Tuzo midfielder assumes his primary duties as a defensive midfielder but is also in charge of jump starting the Pachuca offense. Against Puebla last week, Gringo struck a marvelous 25-yard set piece bomb for the game winner, which also witnessed an athletic celebratory back flip circa 1988 Ozzie Smith .

 

While  playing for Pachucha in this role, the feisty midfielder has offered accurate passing, astute and quick exchanges, and the requesite defensive bite to maintiain good team balance. Against Chivas USA last night, his probing runs and field-switching passes provided excellent ball movement, which is subtle reminder to why he starts for one of the elite Mexican clubs.

 

Soccer Videos: Torres shines against Chivas USA in 0-1 defeat

 

 

To suggest that Torres is currently playing at his finest is not far fetched by any stretch of the imagination. The question now remains: Will he play important role in the Netherland friendly?

 

Will Torres earn a starting spot against the Dutch? Could you envision Edu earning the nod over Gringo Torres? Share your thoughts.

 

Included are blogs that discuss Soccer Goals: Will Jose Franciso Torres earn a starting position against Netherlands

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