02.08.2019 23:00 h

Román Torres suspended for doping

The Seattle Sounders' former Panama international captain Roman Torres was handed a 10-game suspension on Friday after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance, Major League Soccer said.

The burly 33-year-old centre-back, who skippered Panama at the 2018 World Cup, was also fined 20 percent of his annual salary, a statement said.

No other information about the circumstances of the failed drug test was made available.

Under the MLS collective bargaining agreement, Torres may not participate in team training or use team facilities during his ban, which is effective immediately.

Torres will be eligible to return on September 29 when Seattle faces the San Jose Earthquakes in California.

Torres joined Seattle in 2015 and has made 70 appearances for the Sounders, scoring the winning penalty in a shoot-out to clinch the club's first-ever MLS Cup crown in 2016.

At international level, Torres is a hero in Panama, famously scoring the last-gasp goal which helped the country qualify for the 2018 World Cup in October 2017