Texans Abroad: October 23, 2012

Texans Abroad is our recurring series that aims to track some of the best Texas born footballers as they progress through their career with their clubs and the US 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:  Clint Dempsey has had a busy October for both club and country. On Oct. 7 Dempsey helped Tottenham Hotspur to a 2-0 home win over Aston Villa with an assist on Aaron Lennon's 67th minute goal. Then the Texan joined the U.S. Men's National Team for the side's final World Cup Qualifiers of 2012. Dempsey played the full 90 minutes in the Yanks' 2-1 win over Antigua & Barbuda on Oct. 12, and did so again on Oct. 16 in a 3-1 win over Guatemala while scoring two goals and an assist to help the U.S. move on to the Hexagonal stage of qualifying. Four days later Dempsey saw 73 minutes of action in London as Tottenham fell to Chelsea 4-2 last Saturday. Tottenham is currently fifth in the Premier League Table with a record of 4-2-2. Deuce could be back on the pitch as soon as Thursday when Spurs travel to take on Slovenian club Maribor in a Europa League match.

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 ran out to a pair of home draws on either side of the international break, settling for a scoreless draw with Brighton before coming back to tie Blackburn 1-1 last weekend. Conor Doyle didn't make the game day roster for either of those matches. The Rams are 14th in the nPower Championship table with a record of 2-1-3 and a road match at Ipswich on the docket for Tuesday.

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:  Greg Garza has gone the full 90 for Club Tijuana in the last two matches and scored against Santos Laguna. Tijuana beat first-place Toluca 1-0 on Oct. 7 before Garza worked his way back into the starting XI against Santos on Oct. 13. The young defender scored in the 28th minute to tie that match at 1-1 before it eventually ended in a 2-2 draw. His performance was good enough to earn Garza a second straight start against Cruz Azul last Friday in a match that also ended in a 2-2 draw. With an unbeaten run of 12 games to its credit, Club Tijuana is second in the Liga MX table with a record of 8-1-5 and a road match against Morelia coming up on Friday.

Jose Francisco Torres – Longview, Texas
Club: Pachuca (Mexico – Liga MX)
Position: Midfielder
Born: October 19, 1987
Number: 18
Height: 5’7’’
Weight: 135
Age: 24
Recent News:  Pachuca is now on a four-game winless streak after tying Leon FC 1-1, losing to Pumas 1-0, and drawing Monterrey 1-1. Torres was out for the game against Leon, but played the full 90 against both Pumas and Monterrey. Pachuca is currently 14th in the Liga MX table with a record of 3-5-6. The side will host Tigres this Saturday.

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: Marco Vidal has started each of Lobos BUAP's last three matches, going the full 90 in a 2-1 win over Universidad Guadalajara and a 2-0 loss to Irapuato before playing 81 minutes in last Friday's 2-0 win over Pumas Morelos. Lobos BUAP is second in the Ascenso MX table with a record of 7-4-1 and will face Merida on the road this 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: Zak Whitbread made his long-awaited Leicester City debut in the team's 2-0 home win over Bristol City just before the international break. Whitbread saw 27 minutes off the bench in that match. Last weekend the Texan defender made his first start for the club and went the distance in a 1-1 road draw with Birmingham. Leicester is now in first place in the nPower Championship table with a record of 7-3-1 and home match with Brighton on Tuesday night.