Texans Abroad: November 16

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 had a rough start to the month in league action. The Spurs dropped a 1-0 result to Wigan Athletic at home on November 3 before beating Maribor 3-1 in Europa League action in London last Thursday. Last weekend Tottenham traveled to Manchester City where they fell 2-1. Clint Dempsey played the full 90 against Wigan and Man City and played nine minutes off the bench in the win over Maribor. The two EPL losses dropped the Lilywhites to seventh in the table with 17 points. Tottenham will play Arsenal on the road this Saturday.

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 started the month off strong with a pair of wins at home, beating Blackpool 4-1 and Barnsley 2-0. But the Rams stumbled last weekend, falling to Millwall on the road 2-1. Conor Doyle didn't make the gameday roster for any of those three matches. Derby County has climbed to ninth in the nPower Championship table with 23 points and will face Crystal Palace on the road 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:  Club Tijuana finished the 2012 Apertura with just one loss and on a 15-game unbeaten streak after tying San Luis 0-0 and beating Chivas de Guadalajara 2-0 in the regular season finale. Of those two matches, Garza played 45 minutes off the bench against San Luis. Tijuana finished second in the Liga MX table and started off the playoffs on the road against Monterrey on Thursday. Garza came in off the bench in the 77th minute to score the game-winning goal just four minutes before the final whistle. The return leg against los Rayados is scheduled for this Sunday.

Jose Francisco Torres – Longview, Texas
Club: Pachuca (Mexico – Liga MX)
Position: Midfielder
Born: October 19, 1987
Number: 18
Height: 5’7’’
Weight: 135
Age: 25
Recent News:  Pachuca finished a lackluster 2012 Apertura campaign with a 4-0 loss to Club America and a 2-1 win in the season finale over Jaguares. Torres played the full 90 in the loss to America before sitting out of the final match of the season. The club punctuated the campaign by sacking the head coach, former Mexico international and Dallas Burn star Hugo Sanchez.

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: Lobos BUAP finished the Apertura 2012 with a 3-1 loss to Toros Neza and started the playoffs with a 3-0 loss to Merida. Marco Vidal played 80 minutes in the regular season finale and 67 minutes in the playoff loss to Merida. Lobos' return leg against Merida is scheduled for Saturday.

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: Leicester City is on a four-game winless streak after dropping a 2-1 result to Watford, playing Bolton to a scoreless draw and tying Nottingham Forest 2-2 in the last two weeks. Zak Whitbread played the full 90 against Watford and Nottingham Forest, but failed to make the gameday roster against Bolton. The streak has dropped Leicester to fifth in the nPower Championship table with 27 points and the side will face Ipswich this Saturday.