Flanked by Technical Director Sebastian Pelzer and Head Coach Ezra Hendrickson, new Fire signing Jairo Torres was formally unveiled on Tuesday at a press conference held at the Club’s downtown Chicago office.
With local and national media in attendance, the Mexican starlet fielded questions on the timing and appeal of his move to Chicago, what he can bring to the team on the field, and the ambitions he has for his time in MLS.
“I’m just really, really happy to be here,” Torres said, via Fire Manager of Communications and translator Elizabeth Sanchez. “I’m very excited to finally be able to be a part of the Chicago Fire. I'm also really grateful (to) the coaching staff and with all of the directors in the Club, because they waited for me to get here. And I'm just really happy to finally be able to come here and help the team out, and especially because the Chicago Fire is such an important team.”
Torres was initially acquired as a Young Designated Player from Liga MX side Atlas in mid-February, but his agreement with the Fire did not begin until May 1.
The 21-year-old at last arrived in Chicago early Monday morning, where he completed his medical evaluation prior to taking part in his first Fire training session on Tuesday at SeatGeek Stadium.
“My teammates received me in the best way possible,” he said. “Everyone was really kind. And I'm ready, I can't wait to start learning from them and to adapt to this city.”
Torres’ addition to the Fire attacking unit will be a welcomed one, as he joins the team amid a difficult moment in the attacking end. The Fire have scored just one goal over the last five matches, and will next hit the road to take on Atlanta United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium this Saturday.
While the 21-year-old will not be solely responsible for shouldering goal-scoring responsibilities, his talent on the ball and his current match fitness figure to make him an easy choice for inclusion in Hendrickson’s rotation from the start.
“He’s here to play,” Hendrickson said. “He just played on the weekend. He's traveled, went through his medicals and all that stuff. So, we'll see how that goes but the plan is to give him some minutes on Saturday. So be ready.”
While careful to add to the already mounting fan expectations for Torres’ addition to the squad, Pelzer and Hendrickson were undoubtedly excited by what their latest signing is set to bring to the team. With Midfielder Fabian Herbers and forward Kacper Przybyłko working back from injury and forward Jhon Duran serving a one-game red card suspension this weekend, Torres is the type of player capable of providing an immediate spark in their absence.
“A player like Jairo, he's someone who could make a coach's life a lot easier, take away some of your sleepless nights,” Hendrickson said. “He's a very good player, great player with good technical ability, especially in 1-v-1 situations, something we need on this team. I think he's going to help us going forward in the attack, and we're very, very happy to have him here. I think the fans are going to enjoy watching him play week in and week out.”
“When I saw him live, it was even better than on the screen,” Pelzer remarked. “And I was very impressed with his skills offensively, and also the commitment that he has for his team, working hard defensively as well.”
Hendrickson and Pelzer believe Torres’ skillset will compliment the current strengths among the Fire attack. Where fellow 2022 addition Xherdan Shaqiri can unlock a defense with a precisely weighted through-pass, Torres can dangle defenders with quick feet and a willingness to run at them straight-on.
“He adds that dimension for us with the guys we currently have to be able to get behind defenses, which is what we're having little issues with right now” Hendrickson said. “I think we defend really well, but transition from defense to offense, we're not getting from the mid-third into the final third as efficiently as we need to. And once we get there, the quality hasn't really been there. So he helps us in that aspect. So we're looking forward to great things and a bit more balanced team.”
A native of Guadalajara, Torres already has 119 professional appearances under his belt in his young career as well as a single appearance for the senior Mexican Men’s National Team. He was also a star in the Mexican youth ranks, winning the Golden Ball award at the 2017 Concacaf Under-17 Championship as the tournament’s best player, before helping the Mexico U-23s to a third place finish at the 2019 Toulon Tournament.
While with Atlas, Torres helped lead the team to the 2021 Liga MX Apertura Championship in December - the club’s first championship in over 70 years. He also provided 18 combined goals and assists during his four seasons there, and went out in style with a 53rd minute finish in his final match this past Saturday - a 1-1 draw against Tigers UANL.
“It's a new challenge for me,” Torres said. “So I'm always going to be grateful to all my teammates and the club, and I'll be following them and cheering them on from here. But my body and my mind and my body are here in Chicago. I'm completely concentrated here and I'm going to do my best here.”
Torres and the Fire will visit Atlanta United this Saturday for a 5 p.m. kickoff at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Tune in for coverage of Torres’ potential first Fire appearance on WGN, CF97 Live, Univision Radio, and MLS’ out-of-market package on ESPN+, and be there in person when he makes his Soldier Field debut on Saturday, May 14 against FC Cincinnati.
