Reports out of Colombia are confirming that 18-year old Roger Torres is close to signing a contract with the Philadelphia Union. Torres plays for America de Cali in the Colombian first division.

One source who recently saw Torres play had some impressive things to say about the young Colombian, “He’s a young, small, quick player with excellent skill on the ball. He took all the set pieces for America de Cali while he was on. Torres is not afraid to dribble and take guys on.”

“He’s not a classic #10, more like a cross between David Ferreira (FC Dallas) and Marco Pappa (Chicago Fire)”, the source added, “with the former’s quickness and the latter’s dead ball ability. Torres is still very much a project, though.”

Comparisons to Freddy Montero will likely arise. But at 18-years old, Torres may not be ready to be the center piece of the Philadelphia Union just yet. “Torres is not a guy to build a team around, but perhaps an interesting piece of the puzzle–again, like Marco Pappa was for the Fire”, the source stated.

Torres looks like he could be an exciting player with some serious skill. If the deal is completed, it will be an encouraging sign for the Philadelphia Union. The team realizes that a number of key foreign players need to be brought in if the team wants to be successful in its first season.

America de Cali is one of the most successful clubs in Colombia. They are the defending champions of the Colombian first division, and have had great success in Copa Libertadores.

There has been no confirmation on the signing from any American media outlets, but the following Colombian news source first broke the story.

http://www.enlajugada.com/principal/ver_nota.php?idn=27824 (in Spanish)