Roman Torres’ defining moment of 2016 was a year in the making.
The Seattle Sounders signed the Panamanian center back from Colombian side Millonarios on Aug. 12, 2015. One month and just four matches later, he tore his ACL against the San Jose Earthquakes.
The Sounders’ defense struggled for the first two-thirds of 2016 while he was finishing his recovery. There was little cohesion on the back line and no imposing presence to thwart off opposing attackers.
That all changed when he made his long-awaited return to game action as a halftime substitute at Providence Park against the Portland Timbers on Aug. 28. Seattle had just played its worst half of the year and trailed 4-0. Torres replaced Tyrone Mears, Brad Evans slid to right back and the Sounders stanched the bleeding.
Torres has played every minute at center back since. His reemergence has given the Sounders a defensive identity they desperately needed, especially given that Torres’ return coincided with the indefinite sidelining of forward Clint Dempsey.
Just how good has Torres been? Consider these numbers. In the 25 ½ games Torres missed, the Sounders had a 1.41 Goals Against Average and only five shutouts. In the 9 ½ matches since he’s returned, the Sounders have a 0.74 Goals Against Average and four shutouts.
As much as the addition of Nicolas Lodeiro and the maturation of Jordan Morris have galvanized Seattle, Torres’ comeback has been perhaps the most significant bright spot of the 2016 season.
