Roman Torres injury update: Center back reportedly 'beating expectations'

Román Torres still might not be ready to play until midseason, but everyone seems to agree that he's at least progressing well. First came word that he got through "stage 1" of the recovery with flying colors. Now, the Panama national team doctor seems to think the hulking center back is actually ahead of expectations.

Torres tore his ACL on Sept. 12 and the team never gave a strict timeline on his recovery, only saying that it takes at least six to nine months even if everything goes well.

The idea of Torres returning in six months still seems ridiculously optimistic, but it seems at least possible that he could be training by the time the Sounders face Club America in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals on Feb. 23. If he can be back on the field within that nine-month window, that would mean he could be playing around mid- to late-June.

None of this dramatically changes how the Sounders will prepare this offseason, but it should at least give us confidence that Torres will be back in 2016.