Following Chivas USA’s dismissal from Major League Soccer, could Erick “Cubo” Torres be the next New York City FC signing?

Over the past month one of the major storylines in the MLS outside the playoffs has been the fate of budding superstar Erick “Cubo” Torres.

Torres scored 15 goals this past year for the now defunct Chivas USA organization and although the majority of the players on the Chivas roster will be placed into a dispersal draft, Cubo’s fate still hangs in the balance. As of now, it is unsure if he will even play in Major League Soccer.

The 21-year-old Mexican forward still has ties to Chivas’ former parent club Guadalajara and the Mexican club has indicated it would gladly take back the striker. The MLS currently holds a purchase option that they can execute to keep Torres in the league and if they do, most likely Torres will go through the allocation process like any other Designated Player.

The team currently on top of the allocation order? New York City Football Club, who still have a designated player slot available after negotiations with Xavi Hernandez fell through earlier this year. Torres’ goal scoring prowess and young star hype may be a perfect fit for NYCFC who have already made waves signing Spanish star David Villa as well as English legend Frank Lampard since their announcement as the 20th MLS franchise.

Whether the team wants to use their allocation spot on Cubo remains to be seen, the fee to purchase Torres is $7 million and it’s still unclear if the league will split that with a team or if the club must pay all of that up front to get the rights to Torres.

Cubo’s salary will most likely go up as well, Torres made $152,000 last season but if the club (and the league) want to pry Torres away from his parent club his agent has already indicated they will need a salary increase. Helping matters is Torres’ age, the forward will only be 22 in the next league year making his DP salary cost less against the salary cap than Xavi’s or any other age 23 or higher player’s would have. Cubo would only cost $200,000 against the (anticipated) $3.25 million salary cap. Furthermore, the club won’t have to purchase a third DP slot from the league because of his age.

Beyond finances, the question remains, is Cubo Torres a good fit for NYCFC? The squad already has a big name striker in Villa and may be looking towards the back line for the next signing instead of adding another goal scoring threat. We also have no idea the system the Blues will play in, if Villa and Torres are signed it clearly will be a dual striker formation which has its pros and cons (seems to work pretty well for the cross town rival Red Bulls) but could limit the overall impact Lampard and the midfield have on the game. What helps this is that Villa has already been forced to play alongside big name strikers at Barcelona in his club past as well as Spain on the international circuit and isn’t forced to play as a central striker. Villa can play wide and can create space, which makes a pairing with Cubo tantalizing on top.

Furthermore, not taking the allocation selection on Torres allows him to slip from New York’s grasp into the other new franchise looking to make waves next season: Orlando. The Lions hold the second allocation spot and would gladly take Torres if he were to fall to them.

All of this hinges on Cubo however, who has stated he would love to play for his favorite team in Mexico after his stint in the United States. But if a team is willing to pay enough, Torres would be silly to walk away from it.