Texans Abroad: December 14

Texans Abroad is our recurring series that aims to track some of the best Texas born footballers as they progress through their careers with their clubs and the U.S. Men’s National Team.


Clint Dempsey – Nacogdoches, Texas
Club: Tottenham Hotspur (England – Premiership)
Position: Forward/Midfield
Born: March 9, 1983
Number: 2
Height: 6’1’’
Weight: 170
Age: 29
Recent News:  Tottenham Hotspur has played seven matches in the last month. The side fell to Arsenal 5-2 in mid-November before playing Lazio to a scoreless draw in Europa League action. Tottenham finished the month with back-to-back wins, 3-1 over West Ham and 2-1 over Liverpool. That momentum carried into December as the Spurs beat Fulham 3-0 and bested Panathinaikos 3-1 in another Europa league match. The side's winning streak came to an end last Sunday, falling to Everton2-1. Dempsey has started each of Tottenham's last six matches and played 45 minutes off the bench in the loss to Arsenal. The Texas native picked up assists against West Ham, Fulham and Panathinaikos and scored the lone goal in the loss to Everton. Tottenham is fifth in the Premier League table with a record of 8-6-2 and a match against Swansea at home this Sunday.

Conor Doyle – McKinney, Texas
Club: Derby County (England – Championship)
Position: Forward
Born: October 13, 1991
Number: 14
Height: 6’2’’
Weight: 189
Age: 21
Recent News:  Derby County has gone 2-2-1 in the last month; losing to Crystal Palace 3-0, beating Birmingham 3-2, drawing Cardiff 1-1, falling to Leicester 4-1 and topping Leeds United 3-1 last Saturday. Doyle finally broke back into the gameday 18-man roster for the first time in weeks for the match against Leeds, but didn't see any playing time off the bench. Derby County is 10th in the nPower Championship table with a record of 8-7-6 and a fixture with Bristol City this Saturday.

Greg Garza – Grapevine, Texas
Club: Club Tijuana (Mexico – Liga MX)
Position: Defender
Born: August 16, 1991
Number: 24
Height: 5’8’’
Weight: 155
Age: 21
Recent News:  After getting a 1-0 lead over Monterrey in the first leg of the Liga MX quarterfinals, Club Tijuana drew los Rayados 1-1 in the second leg to advance to the semifinals on a 2-1 aggregate score. In the second round, Tijuana lost to Club Leon 2-0 on the road in the first leg but battled back at home in the second leg to post a 3-0 win and advance on a 3-2 aggregate score. Facing first-place Toluca in the final, Tijuana earned a 2-1 win at home in the first leg and a 2-0 win on the road in the second leg to win the 2012 Apertura championship. Garza played his final minutes of the season in the second leg against Monterrey, working 19 minutes off the bench in the draw. Tijuana will kick off the 2013 Clausura against Puebla on Sunday, January 6.

Jose Francisco Torres – Longview, Texas
Club: Tigres UANL (Mexico – Liga MX)
Position: Midfielder
Born: October 19, 1987
Number: 18
Height: 5’7’’
Weight: 135
Age: 25
Recent News:  After a dismal season at Pachuca in which the club failed to make the playoffs, Torres secured a move to Tigres last month. Torres made his professional debut for Pachuca in 2006. Tigres will kick off the 2013 Clausura against Jaguares on Saturday, January 5.

Marco Vidal – Dallas, Texas
Club: Lobos BUAP (Mexico – Ascenso MX)
Position: Midfielder
Born: February 21, 1986
Number: 12
Height: 5’7’’
Weight: 150
Age: 26
Recent News: After dropping a 3-0 result to Merida in the first leg of the first round of the playoffs, Lobos BUAP posted a 4-0 win in the second leg to win the series 4-3 on aggregate. In the next round, Lobos beat La Piedad 2-1in the first leg but lost 2-0 in the second leg to be eliminated by a 3-2 aggregate score. Vidal played 28 minutes in the win over La Piedad, but was an unused sub in the second leg loss. Lobos BUAP will return to action on January 4, 2013 against Necaxa for the start of the 2013 Clausura.

Zak Whitbread – Houston, Texas
Club: Leicester City (England – Championship)
Position: Defender
Born: January 10, 1984
Number: 37
Height: 6’2’’
Weight: 165
Age: 28
Recent News: Through five matches played in the last month, Leicester City has beaten Iswich 6-0, Sheffield Wednesday 2-0, lost to Leeds United 1-0, defeated Derby County 4-1 and, most recently tied Barnsley 2-2 last Saturday. Whitbread has started each of the last five matches for Leicester City and scored the opening goal in the win over Derby County. Leicester City is fifth in the nPower Championship table with a record of 11-6-4 and a match against Millwall coming up Saturday.