Atlanta United announced today it has agreed to a new contract with free agent forward Erick “Cubo” Torres. He will also take on a more direct role working alongside Academy players and staff.
“Cubo has been a positive influence on our organization and we’re pleased he has chosen to re-sign with the club,” Atlanta United Vice President and Technical Director Carlos Bocanegra said. “While he provides competition to our group of forwards, he’s a veteran presence who understands the league and has shown a willingness to mentor our younger players.”
Torres, 28, joined Atlanta on July 31, 2020 as a Season-Ending Injury Replacement Player. He went on to appear in 13 matches with four starts, while adding one goal and one assist. Torres picked up an assist in his club debut against Nashville SC on Aug. 22, helping Atlanta win 2-0. He was able to make three starts in September before suffering a knee sprain that forced him to miss a month’s worth of action. He returned to the starting lineup on Nov. 24 and scored his first club goal as a substitute on Nov. 28 against Orlando City SC.
Torres has more than 230 professional appearances and 65 goals scored at the club level while also featuring for the Mexican National Team. Prior to joining Atlanta, he spent two years playing in Liga MX, most recently with Club Tijuana where he scored seven goals in 37 appearances across all competitions. The striker played parts of five seasons in MLS from 2013-2017 where he scored 36 goals in 93 MLS Regular Season matches. He was loaned to Chivas USA from its then-sister club Chivas Guadalajara midway through the 2013 MLS season and was signed as a Designated Player. Torres went on to score seven goals in 15 appearances and returned for the 2014 campaign. That year he scored 15 goals in 29 regular season matches, was named to the 2014 MLS All-Star Team and became the league’s all-time leading Mexican goal-scorer.
Torres received his first call up to the Mexican National Team in August of 2014 under coach Miguel Herrera and made his senior team debut Sept. 9, 2014 in a friendly against Bolivia when he started and played 90 minutes in a 1-0 win. Torres scored his first goal for Mexico Oct. 12, 2014 during a friendly against Panama, which proved to be the game-winner in a 1-0 result. He was called up during the 2017 Gold Cup and made three appearances in Mexico’s run to the semi-finals.
PLAYER PROFILE
Name: Erick Estéfano Torres Padilla
Nickname: Cubo
Position: Forward
Birthdate: January 19, 1993 (age: 28)
Birthplace: Guadalajara, Mexico
Height: 5-11
Citizenship: Mexico
Transaction: Atlanta United re-signs Erick Torres on February 3, 2021.
2021 Atlanta United roster (as of Feb. 3, 2021)
Goalkeepers (2): Brad Guzan, Alec Kann
Defenders (9): Mikey Ambrose, George Bello, George Campbell, Franco Escobar, Brooks Lennon, Fernando Meza, Efrain Morales, Miles Robinson, Anton Walkes.
Midfielders (10): Mo Adams, Ezequiel Barco, Machop Chol, Jürgen Damm, Emerson Hyndman, Marcelino Moreno, Jake Mulraney, Eric Remedi, Matheus Rossetto, Tyler Wolff.
Forwards (5): Jackson Conway, Erik Lopez, Lisandro Lopez, Josef Martinez, Erick “Cubo” Torres
