Just hours after the Seattle Sounders booked their second straight trip to the Western Conference Championship, Sounders defender Román Torres was on a flight to his hometown of Panama City to meet with President of Panama, Juan Carlos Varela.
President Varela presented Torres with the national flag and the keys to Panama City, the highest honor a Panamanian civilian can receive. The beloved captain of the Panamanian national team solidified his status as a national hero after his 87th-minute goal against Costa Rica in the final round of the CONCACAF Hexagonal sent Los Canaleros to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia for the first time.