Futbol MLS announced on Sunday that fans elected Seattle Sounders defender Roman Torres as the 2016 Latino del Ano, or Latin American Player of the Year.
The 30-year-old Panamanian received 53 percent of the votes in the final, outlasting New York City FC’s Ronald Matarrita (Costa Rica), LA Galaxy midfielder Giovani dos Santos (Mexico) and Montreal Impact midfielder Ignacio Piatti (Argentina).
Torres missed nearly an entire year while recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in September 2015. He returned to the field as a second-half substitute on Aug. 28 at Providence Park against the Portland Timbers before starting the final eight games of the regular season.