Around MLS: Houston's Torres finds a groove under Cabrera
Erick Torres seems to have recaptured his old form now that he's been reunited with coach Wilmer Cabrera.
Known as Cubo, Torres has three goals this season for the Houston Dynamo. He's been nominated for the league's goal of the week honors twice.
The Mexican striker had a breakout season under Cabrera back in 2014 when both were with the now-defunct Los Angeles-area team Chivas USA. He scored 15 goals in 29 starts and made the MLS All-Star team.
In three games so far for Houston this season under Cabrera, Torres has been unstoppable.
"There's no doubt, to have someone that knows me, to have someone that has confidence in me, that trusts me, it has really helped out," Torres said through a translator. "I think me and all the players are really happy with the coaching staff, with all the work they've been doing, and they're going to help us get the results that the team needs."
After Chivas' demise, Torres was signed by the Dynamo as a designated player. He spent six months of 2015 on loan to his hometown club Guadalajara before joining Houston for the 2015 U.S. Open Cup. But Torres struggled to recapture his Chivas form.
The Dynamo had issues overall, too. Last season the team finished 7-14-13 for 10th in the Western Conference, well out of the playoff picture.
Houston parted with coach Owen Coyle in the midst of last season. In late October the team brought in Cabrera from the USL's Rio Grande Valley in hopes of returning to playoffs for the first time since 2013.
"Erick has the talent, and if he's motivated the way he is, he's going to get better and better," Cabrera said. "Now we have to be sure that it's not individual work, it's a collective effort, because that's the most important. In the end, the team is the most important."
Torres has scored in each of Houston's three matches, the first time since 2014 he's scored in three consecutive games. He has 25 goals for his career, leading all Mexican-born scorers in MLS.
The Dynamo are 2-1-0 to start the season, and the team's seven total goals are third most in the league. Torres said that this season he's developed a good chemistry with forwards Alberth Elis and Romell Quioto.
"We match up really well, Quioto, Elis and myself. We can score and we've done things to help the team succeed, and I know that we're going to keep working and we're going to keep on getting better," Torres said. "I know that we're all going to come to come together and we're all going to be able to do what is right, not only for us but for the team as well."
GAME OF THE WEEK: Some of Major League Soccer is taking a break this weekend for international play, so fans stateside will be watching the U.S. men's national team plays Honduras on Friday in a key World Cup qualifying match. The Americans are playing their first game of the second stint for coach Bruce Arena, hired to get the team back on track after consecutive qualifying losses under Jurgen Klinsmann. Nineteen of the 26 players on the U.S. roster are from Major League Soccer.
BEST OF THE REST: There are still three games scheduled for Saturday, including undefeated Portland at Columbus. The teams played for the 2015 MLS Cup at Mapfre Stadium, with the Timbers claiming the trophy.
Portland is 3-0, while the Crew are coming off their first win, a 2-0 victory Saturday at D.C. United.
HONORS: FC Dallas forward Maxi Urruti scored two goals late for a 2-1 victory over the New England Revolution last weekend, which earned him player of the week honors. With Dallas down 1-0, Urruti scored the equalizer in the 71st minute and added the winner some six minutes later .
ON THE MOVE: It was a busy week for major moves in MLS. The Chicago Fire made a splash by signing World Cup winner Bastian Schweinsteiger. The 32-year-old German midfielder comes to the United States from a stint at Manchester United. He is known most for his 17-year career with Bayern Munich, where he won the Bundesliga eight times, the German Cup seven times, and the Champions League once. He scored 24 goals in 121 matches for Germany and won the 2014 World Cup before retiring from international duty last year.
The other big move was Real Salt Lake's dismissal of coach Jeff Cassar just three matches into the season. RSL started 0-2-1, extending a 10-game winless streak that dates back to last season.
Cassar, promoted to head coach in 2014, was 38-37-30. Director of goalkeeping Daryl Shore will step in as interim head coach.
THE LAST WORD: Sporting Kansas City forward Dom Dwyer became a U.S. citizen late last week in a ceremony at Charles Evans Whittaker Courthouse . The English-born striker has lived in the United States since 2009 and has had a green card since 2012.
"This country has given me a lot over the past eight years, and I look forward to giving back as much as possible," he said in a statement.
Dwyer, who joined Sporting in 2012 and has scored 61 goals with the team across all competitions, is married to U.S. women's national team forward Sydney Leroux. The couple has an infant son, Cassius Cruz.