A notable name was missing from Panama’s final 23-man CONCACAF Gold Cup roster that was released on Thursday.
Seattle Sounders defender and Panama captain Roman Torres was not included on the final squad, explaining on Twitter shortly after the announcement that he and head coach Hernan Dario Gomez came to a mutual agreement for him to stay in Seattle during the tournament.
Torres wrote that he “know[s] [he] can play but [he] believes in opportunities.”
The 31-year-old center back has dealt with some injury issues this year, appearing in just eight and starting only six of Seattle’s 17 regular-season matches. The imposing defender has also missed time while on duty with Panama, going the full 90 in their four total World Cup qualifiers in March and June.
Panama are currently in fourth place in the CONCACAF Hexagonal, one point behind the US for the third and final automatic qualification spot for next summer’s World Cup in Russia. The fourth-place Hex finisher will play the fifth-place Asian team in a two-legged playoff for one spot in the World Cup. Los Canaleros will resume Hex action in September with matches at Mexico and against Trinidad & Tobago.
New York City FC’s Miguel Camargo, New York Red Bulls’ Michael Murillo, San Jose Earthquakes’ Anibal Godoy and Toronto FC’s Armando Cooper were named to Panama’s 23-man Gold Cup squad. Panama are in Group B at the Gold Cup with the US, Nicaragua and Martinique.
Torres and Seattle will return to MLS action on Sunday, when they’ll take on the archrival Portland Timbers at Providence Park as part of Heineken Rivalry Week (10 pm ET | ESPN2 in the US, TSN2 in Canada).
