FRISCO - While the U.S. Women’s National Team wraps up their time in Frisco this week on the Road to Rio, two sisters within the FC Dallas Youth system are hoping to one day be on the same stage.
Taryn Torres, a member of the U-17 ECNL team (pictured right), and her younger sister Hollyn, a member of the U-14 squad (pictured left), have become regulars on Youth National Teams at their respective age groups. Taryn joined the U.S. U-17 squad last week as they prepare for next month’s CONCACAF U-17 Women’s Championship, with a place in the U-17 World Cup on the line. She also received three call ups to the U.S. U-20 team over the final months of 2015.
“It’s an amazing experience. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I love playing soccer, so playing for my country is something I’ve always loved,” Taryn said before leaving to join the U-17s in California. “We play Jamaica, Costa Rica and Mexico and we need to win qualifying. I don’t want to just win, I want to win big. I want to win the tournament and qualify so we can go to the World Cup.”
“[Taryn] stands out from your average player,” said Matt Grubb, who coaches both sisters in Dallas’ ECNL program. “It’s different than your normal kid with her drive and passion and motivation within the game, and then just the level of thought - the soccer IQ and the soccer brain and creativity is just something different.”
Hollyn, who is two-and-a-half years younger, is just starting her own journey at the National Team level, earning two calls to the U-15 Girls National Team last year.
“When she got invited to her first camp, it was always my dream to do something like she did and I just made it my goal,” the 14-year-old said of her older sister. “I think she’s very much someone I can look up to and she’s a role model to me.”
Despite the age difference, Hollyn often trains with her sister’s U-17 team and has even played in games with the older squad. And although they both play in an attacking midfield role, the sisters each have their own style of play.
“Definitely different personalities…Hollyn, to me, with power and aggressiveness, leans more towards that than I think Taryn does. Taryn is a little bit more finesse, a little bit more combination, a little bit more crafty player,” Grubb said. “Their takes on the game are different and it’s funny to see them practice together too, because there’s a consistent rivalry between the two where the older sister is like ‘Hey, fall in line,’ and the younger one’s like ‘Don’t tell me what to do,’ which I think is helpful and healthy from both sides.”
“It’s always a challenge playing against older girls, but it also helps me get better and getting these opportunities to play with better players if what helps me become a better player,” Hollyn said. “Getting to play with my sister and getting in an environment like this is what makes me improve.”
As both continue to improve and develop as players, colleges are taking notice. Taryn, a junior in high school, recently committed to play at the University of Virginia in the Fall of 2017, where she’ll have a unique position in making her case for the Senior USWNT squad in years to come.
“The assistant on the full Women’s National Team [Steve Swanson] is the head coach at Virginia, so I think she’s kind of positioned herself into a very good environment, a very good atmosphere to take the next step from a coach who’s been there at the top levels around the world,” Grubb said. “[Hollyn]’s right now getting ready to start the college recruiting process, because recruiting starts so early, she’s a freshman, but I’ve got colleges beating down the door and we’re trying to delay it because we’re waiting for her to mature and understand it and make a wise decision that she’s not going to have to go back on.”