The fans have spoken: Roman Torres is the 2017 Latino del Año.
The Seattle Sounders defender won the title for the second consecutive year, receiving 52.2 percent of the final round of voting to beat Houston’s Alberth Elis (29.8 percent) and Atlanta’s Miguel Almiron (14.2 percent) and Josef Martinez (3.7 percent). This is the first time that a player has won back-to-back Latino del Año awards.
The Panamanian international made 27 appearances for the Sounders in regular season and playoff action, helping Seattle to their second straight appearance in MLS Cup. He also became a national hero in Panama, scoring a late goal in their final Hexagonal match to clinch their first-ever berth at the World Cup.
Created in 2010, Latino del Año allows fans to vote for the top Hispanic or Latino player in MLS on FutbolMLS.com. Torres’ win marks the fourth time in the award’s eight-year history that a Sounders player has been named Latino del Año.
Latino del Año winners:
2017 – Roman Torres (Seattle Sounders)
2016 – Roman Torres (Seattle Sounders)
2015 – Darwin Ceren (Orlando City)
2014 – Marco Pappa (Seattle Sounders)
2013 – Alvaro Saborio (Real Salt Lake)
2012 – Oscar Boniek Garcia (Houston Dynamo)
2011 – Omar Bravo (Sporting Kansas City)
2010 – Fredy Montero (Seattle Sounders)
