Torres’ choice decision

The Texas-born midfielder — whose father is Mexican and mother is American — has been a fixture on the U.S. roster since choosing the Stars and Stripes over El Tri two years ago. He debuted for the United States in October 2008 at RFK Stadium in a World Cup qualifier against Cuba, but that didn’t exactly lead to a ton of playing time in the ensuing games.

In 24 matches played by the United States in 2009, Torres was featured in just five with one start. Despite his composure on the ball and consistent playing time for Pachuca in the Mexican first division, Torres didn’t seem the right fit for U.S. coach Bob Bradley‘s system. He might as well have been an equipment manager during last summer’s tuneup visit to South Africa, not appearing in any of the five matches during the Americans’ historic run to the Confederations Cup final.

“As players, you get frustrated when you come in [to training camp] or you don’t play,” Torres said. “I’ve always had patience, you know. If Bob was calling me in, it was for something, and I just had to wait my time.”

And so to last weekend and the U.S. team’s stateside World Cup send-off match against Turkey. Called upon at halftime, the 22-year-old delivered a much needed veteran-like spark off the bench, helping the United States rally from a goal down for a 2-1 victory and surging into contention for a starting midfield role when group play begins in South Africa next week.

No longer is Torres a novelty for daring to represent the United States despite being groomed on a field south of the border or some kind of symbol of the evolving state of American soccer. He’s just proof that talent, hard work and perseverance eventually will earn their just reward.

“I think he does offer things that maybe we don’t have,” said U.S. forward Herculez Gomez, who will join Torres at Pachuca next season. “But everybody’s here for a certain reason, and he’s one of those players — he’s got a little bit of his own flair.”