Torres transfer moved ‘quicker than most’
Deal with Pumas allows roster flexibility for summer window
Sometimes, life comes at you fast. It’s difficult to imagine it will ever come quite as fast as it did this week for Erick Torres and the Dynamo.
When Torres walked off the training field Tuesday afternoon, he said he was happy to be with the Dynamo and that his intentions “have always been to fulfill (his) contract with Houston.”
Approximately 34 hours later, Torres was wearing a Pumas UNAM jersey in Mexico City and telling a national television audience that playing for Pumas is “the best moment of (his) career and personal life.”
Even Dynamo general manager Matt Jordan was taken aback by how rapidly discussions with Pumas went on Tuesday and Wednesday. Pumas called the Dynamo at 3 p.m. on Tuesday. By Wednesday night, Pumas had announced Torres as its newest player.
Mutually beneficial
The process included a phone call from Torres to Dynamo coach Wilmer Cabrera on Tuesday night, in which Torres said that, due to personal and professional reasons, he would be interested in moving to Pumas.
By Wednesday morning, Jordan said, documents began to be shared. Not long after that, Torres flew to Mexico City. Pumas announced the transfer in the middle of a game.
“Every deal and transaction move sat its own pace ,” Jordan said. “With this being the winter window and getting toward the end of January, there is more urgency. This moved quicker than most.”
A Mexican publication reported that the transfer fee was $1.9 million, though Jordan said Thursday he would not get into specifics. He did say the transfer is mutually beneficial for all parties.
The move will give the Dynamo massive flexibility for the summer transfer window. Torres was one of the maximum three Designated Players and made a reported salary of $650,000 — the highest on the team.
The Dynamo have until Wednesday to sign international players, but the short amount of time, in addition to the fact they are out of international roster spots, makes it unlikely they will do so.
It is more likely that the Dynamo let the first few months of the season play out before identifying the type of player they want to add during the summer transfer window.
“Right now, all options are on the table,” Jordan said. “We’re not going to put a specific time line on anything. We don’t feel we need to rush and do something just for the sake of doing it. … We feel really good about the group we have assembled. I know the guys are really excited about the direction we’re moving.”
Depth issues going forward
One problem the Torres transfer poses is a lack of depth among forwards.
The Dynamo listed six on their preseason roster and are now down to five. One of them is second-round MLS SuperDraft pick Mac Steeves, who is likely to begin the season with USL affiliate Rio Grande Valley FC.
The trio of Alberth Elis, Romell Quioto and Mauro Manotas is as good as any in the league, and Andrew Wenger is regarded as a quality backup.
If one of them gets injured, however, Cabrera would likely have to ditch the 4-3-3 formation and tactics that worked well for most of last season.
Jordan, though, said he is not concerned with depth at forward.
“We’re confident in the group of players we have on our team,” Jordan said. “We have invested in a lot of these young, dynamic and talented players. … We felt the timing of this (transfer) was right.”