View source for Johnny Torres

{{short description|Colombian American soccer player (born 1976)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name= Johnny Torres
| fullname = Johnny Torres
| image =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1976|4|24}}
| birth_place = [[Medellín]], [[Colombia]]
| height = {{height|ft=5|in=7}}
| currentclub  = [[Creighton Bluejays men's soccer|Creighton Bluejays]] (head coach)
| position = [[Midfielder]]
| collegeyears1 =   1994–1998
| college1 =   [[Creighton Bluejays men's soccer|Creighton Bluejays]]
| collegecaps1 = 85
| collegegoals1 = 46
| years1 =  1998–2001 
| clubs1 =  [[New England Revolution]]<ref name = "ClubHistory_CoachandPlayerRegistry.pdf"/>
| caps1  =  88
| goals1 =   8
| years2 =  2000 
| clubs2 =  → [[Connecticut Wolves]] (loan)
| caps2 =  1
| goals2 = 0
| years3 =  2001 
| clubs3 =  [[Miami Fusion]]
| caps3 =  23
| goals3 =  2
| years4 =  2001–2007 
| clubs4 =  [[Milwaukee Wave]] ''(indoor)''
| caps4 =  99
| goals4 =  41
| years5 =  2002 
| clubs5 =  [[Chicago Fire S.C.|Chicago Fire]]
| caps5 =   2
| goals5 =  0
| years6 =  2002–2003 
| clubs6 =  [[Minnesota Thunder]]
| caps6 =  47
| goals6 =  19
| years7 =  2004 
| clubs7 =  [[Milwaukee Wave United]]
| caps7 =  28
| goals7 =  11
| years8 =  2010–2011
| clubs8 =  [[Omaha Vipers]] ''(indoor)''
| caps8 =  17
| goals8 =  17
| nationalyears1 = 1999–2006
| nationalteam1 = [[United States national futsal team|U.S. Futsal]]
| nationalcaps1 =  13   
| nationalgoals1 =9
|  manageryears1 =    2007–2010 
| manageryears2 =  2011
| manageryears3 =  2011–2018
| manageryears4 = 2018–
|  managerclubs1 =    [[Creighton Bluejays men's soccer|Creighton Bluejays]] (assistant) 
| managerclubs2 =  [[Creighton Bluejays men's soccer|Creighton Bluejays]] (interim)
| managerclubs3 =  [[Creighton Bluejays men's soccer|Creighton Bluejays]] (assistant)
| managerclubs4 = [[Creighton Bluejays men's soccer|Creighton Bluejays]]
}}
'''Johnny Torres''' (born April 24, 1976) is a Colombian-American [[soccer]] [[midfielder]] and coach who is currently the head coach of his [[alma mater]], [[Creighton Bluejays|Creighton University]].  Torres has played in [[Major League Soccer]], [[USL-1]], and also played for the [[Omaha Vipers]] of the [[Major Indoor Soccer League (2008–)|Major Indoor Soccer League]].  He has also earned caps with the U.S. [[Futsal]] team.

==Youth==
Torres was born in [[Medellín]], [[Colombia]], where his father and several uncles played semi-professional soccer.  In 1981, when Torres was five years old, his family moved to [[Houston, Texas]] where Torres played for the local club team Houston Texans.  In 1986, his family decided to return to Colombia, but Torres' youth soccer coach, Carlos Clarke, a native of Chile, offered to adopt Torres.  His family agreed, and Torres was adopted by the Clarkes who lived in [[Dickinson, Texas]].  Torres would play soccer at Dickinson High School where he was a three-time ''[[USA Today]]'' high school soccer [[All-America]]n.

==Player==

===College===
After graduating from high school in 1994, Torres attended [[Creighton University]].  The [[Creighton Bluejays|Bluejays]] had an excellent four-year run during Torres' time with the team.  The school racked up a 62–18–5 record and made four consecutive appearances in the [[NCAA]] post-season tournament.  He was the 1996 Soccer America Player of the Year (for his junior season). In 1996, Torres' senior year, Creighton reached the NCAA College Cup for the first time in school history.  Torres was showered with honors during his time at Creighton.  He was selected as a Second Team All [[Missouri Valley Conference]] (MVC) player as a freshman.  The next three years, he made the All-MVC first team.  He was also a first-team All-American his junior and senior years.  In 1997, he was the MCV Player of the Year, Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the MCV tournament and the [[Hermann Trophy]] winner.  He is third on Creighton's career scoring list with 46 goals and is tied for second on the career assists list with 36.<ref>[https://admin.xosn.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=1000&ATCLID=1152152 Creighton Soccer]</ref>  
In 1996, during his time at Creighton, Torres became a U.S. citizen.  In 2004, he was inducted into the Creighton University athletic Hall of Fame.

===Professional===
On February 1, 1998, the [[New England Revolution]] of [[Major League Soccer]] (MLS) selected Torres as its top draft pick (fifth overall) in the [[1998 MLS College Draft]].<ref name = "ClubHistory_CoachandPlayerRegistry.pdf">{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612135826/https://newengland-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/elfinderimages/media/ClubHistory_CoachandPlayerRegistry.pdf |url=https://newengland-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/elfinderimages/media/ClubHistory_CoachandPlayerRegistry.pdf |title=ClubHistory_CoachandPlayerRegistry.pdf |archive-date=June 12, 2018 |access-date=May 10, 2024}}</ref>  The Revolution had high hopes for the talented midfielder.{{citation needed |reason=according to what? |date=September 2024}} Torres made his first start for the Revolution on March 29 against [[DC United]] and made his home debut, again vs. [[DC United]], on April 18.<ref name="2024 Media Guide">{{cite book |title=2024 Media Guide |publisher=New England Revolution |url=https://revolution.1rmg.com/season/2024/media-guide/ |access-date=September 11, 2024 |archive-date=March 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240322013528/https://revolution.1rmg.com/season/2024/media-guide/ |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref> He recorded his first goal for the club on April 25 in the Revolution's 3-0 home victory over the [[Miami Fusion]].<ref name="2024 Media Guide"/> Torres finished his rookie campaign with two goals and three assists in 20 appearances.<ref name="2024 Media Guide"/>

Torres spent four years with the Revolution, never entirely playing up to expectations.{{citation needed |reason=according to who? |date=September 2024}}  He played 88 games, starting 55, scoring only 8 goals and assisting on 14 others.<ref name="2024 Media Guide"/>  In 2000, the Revolution sent him on loan to the [[Connecticut Wolves]] for one game.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110629130135/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/aleague/stats/2000/stats.constax.html 2000 Connecticut Wolves]</ref>  On August 16, 2001, the Revolution traded Torres, along with [[Shaker Asad]], to the [[Miami Fusion]] for [[Leo Cullen (soccer player)|Leo Cullen]] and a 2003 first round draft choice.<ref name = "ClubHistory_CoachandPlayerRegistry.pdf"/>  Torres would only play a single season for the Fusion.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mlssoccer.com/players/johnny-torres/stats/ |title=Stats |accessdate=September 11, 2024}}</ref> Miami was one of the 2 teams contracted after the 2001 season.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/us_sport/1750024.stm | work=BBC News | title=Fusion and Mutiny fold | date=January 9, 2002 | access-date=May 2, 2010 | archive-date=June 9, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200609061315/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/us_sport/1750024.stm | url-status=live }}</ref>  After the Fusion folded in January 2002, Torres moved to the [[Milwaukee Wave]] of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) for the 2001–2002 indoor season, which was already in play.  Torres' move to MISL came about from his having played for the U.S. [[Futsal]] team in 1999 when [[Keith Tozer]], coach of the Wave, coached the futsal team.  When Tozer heard about the Fusion's collapse, he contacted Torres about moving to the MISL.

At the end of the MISL season, Torres briefly returned to MLS, playing four games with the [[Chicago Fire S.C.|Chicago Fire]] when the team was decimated with injuries in 2002.<sup>[http://www.soccertimes.com/mls/2002/jun26.htm]</sup>  However, he left the Fire and moved to the [[Minnesota Thunder]] of the [[USL First Division|A-League]], now known as the [[United Soccer League (1984–85)|United Soccer League]] (USL) First Division.  Torres played both the 2002 and 2003 outdoor seasons with the Thunder.

While playing outdoor soccer with the Thunder, Torres also played indoor soccer with the [[Milwaukee Wave]] of the MISL.  However, in May 2004, he signed with the Wave's parent organization, also known as the Milwaukee Wave.  This organization fields two teams, the indoor Milwaukee Wave of the MISL and outdoor Milwaukee Wave United of the USL.   This would allow Torres to play both indoor and outdoor soccer with the same organization rather than bouncing between Milwaukee and Minnesota from summer to winter. To sign Torres, the Wave United traded forward [[Dan Antoniuk]] to the [[San Diego Sockers (2001–2004)|San Diego Sockers]] for a 2005 fourth round draft pick.

In 2004 Torres was named to USL All-League First Team, having scored 11 goals in 28 games with the Wave United. Torres was a member of the 2005 MISL championship Milwaukee Wave which swept the Cleveland Force in two games. He tore the MCL in his right knee during the 2005–2006 season.  In 2010, he made his return to indoor soccer, with the Omaha Vipers of the MISL.

===International===
In 1997, Torres was a member of the third place team at the 1997 [[Universiade|World University Games]].  Torres ended the tournament as the U.S. team's leading scorer with 5 goals.  Torres has played for the U.S. Futsal team from 1999 to 2006, earning 13 [[cap (sport)|caps]] and scoring 9 goals.  He was the team leader with five goals at the 2004 [[FIFA Futsal World Championship]].

==Coaching==
Torres returned to Creighton in 2007 as a graduate assistant under then head coach [[Bob Warming]]. Torres finished his studies at Creighton that he started during his playing career, graduating with a bachelor's degree in sociology in May 2008. Torres was promoted to full-time assistant in 2008, and was named interim head coach on January 26, 2011, after [[Jamie Clark (footballer)|Jamie Clark]] resigned as head coach of Creighton to take the same position at the [[University of Washington]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gocreighton.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=1000&ATCLID=205084272|title=Torres Named Interim Coach at Creighton After Head Coach Jamie Clark Resigns as Head Coach to Move to Washington|access-date=26 January 2011|date=26 January 2011|publisher=Creighton University}}</ref> Eventually Creighton hired [[Elmar Bolowich]], relieving Torres of interim head coach duties.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://gocreighton.com/sports/mens-soccer/roster/coaches/johnny-torres/4074 Creighton Bluejays bio]

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{{M.A.C. Hermann Trophy Men's Recipients}}
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{{1998 MLS College Draft}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Torres, Johnny}}
[[Category:1976 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American men's soccer players]]
[[Category:American men's futsal players]]
[[Category:Colombian emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:Colombian expatriate men's footballers]]
[[Category:Colombian men's footballers]]
[[Category:Connecticut Wolves players]]
[[Category:Creighton Bluejays men's soccer players]]
[[Category:Creighton Bluejays men's soccer coaches]]
[[Category:Major League Soccer players]]
[[Category:New England Revolution players]]
[[Category:Miami Fusion players]]
[[Category:Chicago Fire FC players]]
[[Category:Major Indoor Soccer League (2001–2008) players]]
[[Category:Milwaukee Wave players]]
[[Category:Minnesota Thunder players]]
[[Category:Milwaukee Wave United players]]
[[Category:Footballers from Medellín]]
[[Category:A-League (1995–2004) players]]
[[Category:New England Revolution draft picks]]
[[Category:American sportspeople of Colombian descent]]
[[Category:People from Dickinson, Texas]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Galveston County, Texas]]
[[Category:All-American college men's soccer players]]
[[Category:Men's association football midfielders]]
[[Category:Hermann Trophy men's winners]]
[[Category:American soccer coaches]]
[[Category:American adoptees]]