Just hours after Houston Dynamo forward Erick “Cubo” Torrestold a local paper that he "made the decision of staying here in Houston," it was revealed that he's actually heading to Mexico.
Mexico City-based Pumas UNAM announced the acquisition of Cubo Torres on Wednesday night to the tune of "welcome to your new home" on social media. The Dynamo followed that up with an announcement of their own on Thursday.
It was only a few weeks ago when it looked like Torres would be making an imminent move to Mexico, but after talks fell through between the Houston Dynamo and Veracruz, Torres was back in Houston for the Dynamo's first training session of the 2018 preseason.
It was after that practice session that Torres told the Houston Chronicle that he was looking to fulfill his contract with the Dynamo: “I spoke with my family and agent about the options, and we all agreed that the best thing for me was to stay here with the Houston Dynamo."
Prior to the 2017 season, the Mexican striker was loaned by the Dynamo to Mexican giants Cruz Azul, but after an injury-marred stint, los cementerosdeclined the purchase option on the player's contract.
Torres returned to Houston in 2017, scoring 14 goals. But 12 of those 14 tallies came in his first 17 appearances of the season and he finished the campaign with just two goals in his final 10 matches.
The 25-year-old, who was a product of the Chivas Guadalajara academy, moved to MLS in 2013 and in five seasons he netted a total of 36 goals in 93 appearances. His breakout MLS season came in 2014 when he scored 15 goals at Chivas USA under current Houston head coach Wilmer Cabrera.
After moving to the Houston Dynamo in 2015, Torres struggled under Scottish manager Owen Coyle, failing to score over two years but still managing to earn a spot on Mexico's 2016 Olympic team. He flourished once again under Cabrera when the latter took over the Dynamo in 2017.
