Inter Miami sends Roman Torres back to Seattle Sounders in exchange for draft pick
Inter Miami traded defender Roman Torres to Seattle Sounders FC in exchange for a conditional first-round pick in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft, the team announced on Monday.
The Panamanian national team captain returns to Seattle, where he was a fan favorite for five seasons from 2015 to 2019. He helped lead the Sounders to two MLS Cups and three Western Conference titles.
“Roman is a good, veteran player who we know well and believe will provide a nice complement to the existing group,” said Sounders general manager Garth Lagerway, the former Miami Fusion goalkeeper. “We look forward to welcoming him back to the club as we prepare for the final stretch of the 2020 season.”
Torres made 80 appearances for the Sounders. He started and played every minute of Seattle’s three MLS Cup appearances and scored the match-winning penalty in the 2016 MLS Cup against Toronto FC.
“Roman has been central to some of our organization’s biggest moments and we are excited to bring him back,” said Sounders vice president Chris Henderson, who played for the Miami Fusion in 2001. “I always like when a player wants to return for a second stint with the club. It says a lot about the team’s relationship with our fans and the Seattle soccer community as a whole.”
Torres, 32, has played 119 games for Panama’s national team since his debut in 2005. He made history on Oct. 17, 2017 when his 88th-minute match-winning goal against Costa Rica clinched Panama’s first World Cup berth. He went on to start all three matches in the 2018 World Cup.
Inter Miami, which fell to 3-9-2 after Sunday’s 3-0 loss at Philadelphia, signed Torres as a free agent on December 29, 2019. He made five appearances for the Club, totaling 325 minutes.
