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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | José Rafael García Torres[1] | |||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1974-08-14)14 August 1974 (age 51) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Mexico City, Mexico | |||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Midfielder | |||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||
| 1992–1998 | UNAM | 134 | (19) | |||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2004 | Toluca | 214 | (27) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2006 | Cruz Azul | 32 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | →Atlas (loan) | 27 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Veracruz | 19 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–2006 | Mexico | 52 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | Atlas Reserves and Academy | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | Atlas (Assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Chiapas (Assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | América (Assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | Puebla | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2018 | Pyramids (Assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2019 | Toluca (Assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2020 | Atlas (Assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2024 | Sinaloa | |||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||
José Rafael García Torres[a] (born 14 August 1974) is a Mexican former professionalfootballer and currentmanager.
As a player, he was a participant in the2002 FIFA World Cup inSouth Korea/Japan and the2006 FIFA World Cup inGermany.[2]
A midfielder comfortable in the center or on the left side, García began his club career withUNAM in 1992.[3] During the 1994–95 season, he established himself in the Pumas lineup, appearing in 32 matches and scoring 8 goals.[3] In the summer of 1998 he left forToluca, beginning a six-year stint at the club. At Toluca, García won league titles during the Verano 1999,[4] Verano 2000,[5] and Apertura 2002[6] seasons, appearing in the finals on each occasion. Playing wide on the left alongsideFabián Estay andVíctor Ruiz in his early years with Toluca,[4] García later formed a central midfield trio withIsrael López andAntonio Naelson.[6] In 2004, he moved toCruz Azul, joinedAtlas for one year in 2005, then returned to Cruz Azul briefly before finishing his top-division career in 2008 withVeracruz.[3]
García also earned 52 caps for theMexico national team, scoring three times.[7] He made his international debut on February 7, 1996, in a 2–1 loss againstChile.[8] In the1996 U.S. Cup, he scored his first international goal with a bending free kick against theUnited States at theRose Bowl.[9] García represented Mexico in four matches of the1997 Copa América,[10] but missed the1998 FIFA World Cup. After the appointment ofManuel Lapuente as national coach, García appeared at the1999 Copa América[11] and the1999 FIFA Confederations Cup, which Mexico won.[12] Recalled to the team for the 2002 World Cup, he played 14 minutes in the opening-round match againstItaly.[13] García remained in the team under new coachRicardo Antonio Lavolpe, helping Mexico to victory in the2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup and scoring in the quarterfinal againstJamaica.[14] Although he also played in the2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup[15] and five qualifying matches for the 2006 FIFA World Cup,[16] he did not play any matches in the 2006 competition itself. García made his final international appearance in a 2–1 loss to theNetherlands on June 1, 2006.[17] New light has surfaced that nepotism was the reason why he participated in the World Cup games of 2006 as he is a relative of then Coach Ricardo La Volpe.[18]
At junior international levels, García competed for Mexico at the1991 FIFA U-17 World Championship and1993 FIFA World Youth Championship,[16] as well as the1996 Summer Olympics.[19]
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 16 June 1996 | Rose Bowl,Pasadena, United States |  United States | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1996 U.S. Cup |
| 2. | 20 July 2003 | Estadio Azteca,Mexico City, Mexico |  Jamaica | 2–0 | 5–0 | 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 3. | 31 March 2004 | The Home Depot Center,Carson, United States |  Costa Rica | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
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