HOUSTON -- Erick "Cubo" Torres was just about to start his Monday evening training session with the Houston Dynamo when Luis Pompilio Paez, Mexico's acting coach, confirmed that the striker will replace the injured Alan Pulido in Mexico's 23-man squad for the Gold Cup.
"Mexico's coaching staff can announce that Erick Torres will be the player to replace Alan Pulido," said Paez to the media on Monday.
"As of right now, [head coach] Juan Carlos Osorio is on a flight from Amsterdam to Atlanta.
"Osorio still has a scheduled conversation with the Dynamo's head coach, Wilmer Cabrera.
"They [Dynamo] still have a game on Wednesday, and in the conversation, we'll decide if the player will head to our camp tomorrow [Tuesday], or if we'll let him play with his club on Wednesday.
"He knows that he has been selected. He's in great shape and is excited to represent his country in the Gold Cup."
Before starting training with his club, Torres didn't want to admit that he would be Pulido's replacement in Mexico's Gold Cup team, but he shared his expectations on the possibility of joining the squad.
"Without a doubt, Mexico has enough quality in order to win it," Torres said. "I don't see anything crazy in saying that Mexico can win the Gold Cup.
"It would be important to win because many of the players in the team are in a process, and the main goal is to reach next year's World Cup.
"It's a great opportunity for many of us to show that we have quality, and that we want to continue representing our country in official tournaments.
Cubo has 12 goals and two assists in the current MLS season, only one goal away from tying the Dynamo's best goalscoring tally in a single season -- which happened in 2008 when Brian Ching scored 13 goals.
Mexico's three strikers in the upcoming Gold Cup will be Atlas' Martin Barragan, Morelia's Angel Sepulveda and Cubo.