So, aside from causing Malcolm the Kitman to have to run out to the local jersey lettering shop to stock up on z's, and causing pun loving bloggers to gulp nervously and long for the simpler days of Bates and Ivo, what do we know about new Toronto FC triallists Kevin Huezo and Moises Orozco? Not a lot was the answer for me, but fortunately my SB Nation compadres over at FMF State Of Mind were able to give a little bit more info.
I'll start with Huezo, there's not a massive amount of info out there, but he's a Left Winger, who was doing well with Pachuca's u-20 team though he hadn't been involved with the US u-20 team since September of 2010. All that info came from this article from last August, but after that things took a turn for the worse in a very dramatic way.
Information in this article from Mexican sports newspaper Record translates roughly as:
"A Pachuca U-20 player with a promising future, named Kevin Huezo, a native of Santa Ana, California, has dual citizenship. In recent weeks, the youngster received threatening calls from unknown persons in Guadalajara. This caused the boy to pack his bags and abandon the Tuzos. Last week, Huezo went to the U.S. because of the relationship with those responsible for the national team of that country and he's now seeking an MLS team."
"They tell me that in the United States, they have permanent contact with the Mexican-American players who belong to the Mexican clubs and make them see that if they feel their safety is in danger, after the violent events in Mexico lately, they'll help them finalise their contract and emigrate back to US football."
Bloody hell!
That was August 30th, in October, this article had him as still with the team, but injured. Who knows if he did go back, or if that was a convenient excuse while his contract release was being negotiated, but it would explain the lack of action he's seen in the last few months, hopefully the threats didn't actually come to anything and now he's free to concentrate on resurrecting his career
As for Orozco, until very recently he was still with Tigres' sub-20 side, part of a core of young American players in the Tigres youth system, such as Victor Garza, Uvaldo Luna, Juan Pablo Ocegueda, and his cousin Emilio Orozco. He did get to train with the first team before this season started but didn't make the cut, and hasn't made any appearances at all for the first team. Probably his best chance for action disappeared when they were knocked out of the Copa Libertadores after just 2 games.
This article goes into more detail of the trend of American youngsters struggling to make the grade in Mexico, and actually losing ground on those that have stayed in the US in MLS. It also lets us know that Orozco is a defensive midfielder, behind Jonathan Bornstein in the pecking order, a full US international who can't even nail down a starting spot, so it's maybe not surprising he decided to try his luck with TFC instead. Tigres official website still has Orozco listed as a 'delantero' ie forward, so who knows what his best position would be really.
As for puns, don't worry it's still all good. I officially call No Huezo or Yes Huezo for use when he's either signed or released, and as for Orozco, the obvious nickname is P Coltrane.