TUKWILA, Wash. – The Seattle Sounders are optimistic about the return of Roman Torres for next week’s Western Conference Championship after the towering center back emerged from international duty with Panama unscathed on Tuesday night.
Torres started and logged 90 minutes in Panama’s scoreless draw against Mexico in Panama City, his first action since the Sounders’ Knockout Round win over Sporting Kansas City on Oct. 27. Torres missed both legs of the Western Conference Semifinals with a hamstring injury and did not appear in Panama’s 1-0 upset over Honduras in San Pedro Sula on Nov. 11, but his shift against El Tri was an encouraging sign for the Sounders ahead of their series opener against the Colorado Rapids on Tuesday, Nov. 22.
“It was encouraging he was still walking at the end of the game,” Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer quipped on Wednesday. “He didn’t have to get carted off or anything, so it’s good.”
Torres has appeared in 10 games for the Sounders since August, when he returned to the lineup from offseason ACL surgery.
Schmetzer also added updates on the Sounders’ list of injured and recovering players, saying that both Jordan Morris (hamstring) and Alvaro Fernandez (hamstring) trained for half of the session on Wednesday and that Brad Evans (calf) and Andreas Ivanschitz (knee) participated in the full session.
