The Hispanic voice of the Sounders lost his battle with cancer last weekend.
For nine seasons, Victor Hernandez was the voice of professional soccer in Seattle’s Hispanic community and an important figure to Spanish-speaking soccer fans in the city.
On Friday, the longtime play-by-play voice of the Sounders in the USL and Sounders FC in Major League Soccer died after a battle with colon cancer. He was 38 years old.
“I am saddened by the passing of a member of the Sounder family, Victor Hernandez,” Sounders FC Owner and General Manager Adrian Hanauer said. “Victor was a friendly and familiar voice to many Sounders fans and he will be missed. I would like to extend my condolences and sympathies to Victor's family.”
Since well before joining MLS in 2009, the Sounders organization has had a connection to the Hispanic community. Fueled by star players Maykel Galindo and Hugo Alcarez-Cuellar in the USL era and Fredy Montero, Osvaldo Alonso and Mauro Rosales, among others, the Hispanic community has been integral in the success of the Sounders.
Along with the many players, though, there has also been strong voices connecting the Sounders to the Hispanic fans in its broadcast team, and Hernandez has been among those voices since 2005.
In addition to his work on Sounders FC broadcasts, Hernandez was also active in La Liga Hispana del Noroeste, where he was Executive Director to the local soccer league.
Hernandez is survived by his wife Rosie, daughters Valerie and Victoria, father Hector Hernandez and mother Delia Sahagun.
