The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Fives Stripes sign Torres to help replace Josef Martinez
United hopes to add scoring by bringing striker back to MLS.
Atlanta United will play the remainder of its MLS season without Josef Martinez because it placed the striker on the season-ending injury list Friday.
Martinez, the league MVP and Golden Boot winner in 2018, suffered a torn ACL in the season-opening game at Nashville on Feb. 29. The move means Martinez is no longer capable of playing for the team in any competition this season. It also shouldn’t be a surprise because President Darren Eales and Vice President Carlos Bocanegra have many times said they didn’t expect Martinez back until next season.
“Josef ’s rehab is progressing well and is going to plan; however, it was important for us to make this move as it gives us roster relief and flexibility for the rest of the 2020 season,” Bocanegra said in a statement. “We will miss his ability and leadership on the field this season, but we look forward to having him back at the start of preseason next year.”
Martinez is one of the best strik
ers in MLS history with 77 goals in 84 appearances. He was acquired on a loan and a few months later purchased by the club in 2017 from Torino, which plays in Italy’s Serie A.
Without Martinez, Atlanta United hasn’t scored in its past four games, losing each.
Martinez’s rehab does seem to be doing well. He consistently posts videos on his social-media accounts of his progress. One on Thursday showed him lightly kicking a ball with his right leg against a bounce-back device.
Placing Martinez on the season-ending list opened a slot on Atlanta United’s roster, and in a corresponding move, the club signed Erick Torres.
Torres, 27, most recently played for Tijuana in Mexico’s LIGA MX, its first division. His contract expired at Tijuana. He scored seven goals in 37 appearances for the club.
Torres will not occupy one of Atlanta United’s international slots because he has a permanent resident visa in the U.S.
Before joining Tijuana, he played for UNAM Pumas in 2018, scoring two goals in eight appearances.
Torres once was one of the better strikers in MLS. His career started at Mexico’s Chivas Guadalajara in 2010 before he joined Chivas USA on loan from 2013-14, scoring 22 goals in 44 appearances. His performances in MLS were good enough to earn a call-up to the Mexican national team when it was led by Miguel Herrera in 2014.
He played for Houston from 2015-17 and his form started to dip his first two seasons, with zero goals in 22 appearances. But he bounced back in 2017 with 14 goals, which was a franchise record. His improved form coincided with him being reunited with coach Wilmer Cabrera, who also managed him at Chivas USA before the franchise folded.
Houston sold Torres to UNAM for a reported fee of $1.65 million.
Bocanegra needed to find a striker because the team has lost its past four games, and its offense was floundering under former manager Frank de Boer. De Boer and the club mutually agreed to part ways last week. Stephen Glass was named the interim manager Monday. The remainder of Atlanta United’s schedule hasn’t been announced by MLS, though Eales on Friday said he expects the team’s next game will be in mid-August.
“Cubo is a natural goal-scoring forward who will bolster our front line, and we’re pleased to add a player of his quality to the team,” Bocanegra said in a statement provided by the team. “He has consistently shown his finishing abilities in MLS, Liga MX and on the international stage, and we expect him to immediately contribute to the second half of our season.”
Atlanta United has had good results from recent in-season acquisitions. Justin Meram, acquired in a trade with Columbus, scored four goals and became a consistent starter for the club last season. Emerson Hyndman, acquired on loan from Bournemouth, became a consistent starter last season.