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Cristian Roldan

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Cristian Roldan
Roldan with the United States in 2019
Personal information
Full name Cristian Roldan[1]
Date of birth (1995-06-03) June 3, 1995 (age 29)
Place of birth Artesia, California, United States
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.72 m)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Seattle Sounders FC
Number 7
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2014 Washington Huskies 41 (10)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2014 Washington Crossfire 13 (6)
2015 Seattle Sounders FC 2 1 (0)
2015– Seattle Sounders FC 276 (36)
International career‡
2015 United States U20 2 (0)
2017–2023 United States 37 (0)
Medal record
Men's Soccer
Representing  United States
Winner CONCACAF Gold Cup 2017
Winner CONCACAF Gold Cup 2021
Runner-up CONCACAF Gold Cup 2019
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 19, 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of July 12, 2023

Cristian Roldan (born June 3, 1995) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club Seattle Sounders FC.

Roldan was the 2013 Gatorade National Player of the Year while playing for El Rancho High School in Pico Rivera, California, and played collegiate soccer for the Washington Huskies. He was picked by the Sounders in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft and developed into a regular starting player for the club, with over 300 total appearances as of 2024.

Club career

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College and amateur

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Roldan was named the 2013 Gatorade National Player of the Year in soccer while attending El Rancho High School in Pico Rivera, California.[3] He declined invitations from the LA Galaxy and Chivas USA to join their academy teams and led the El Rancho Dons to an undefeated season with 26 wins.[4] In his junior year, he had 21 goals and 21 assists for El Rancho and also played for youth club Union Independiente.[5] During the 2012–13 season, he scored 54 goals and 30 assists and led El Rancho to a regional high school championship.[4][6]

Roldan was scouted by the University of Washington at a tournament in San Diego and spent his college career with the Washington Huskies.[6] In his two seasons of college soccer, Roldan made a total of 41 appearances and tallied 10 goals and seven assists as he helped lead the team to a Pac-12 title in 2013.[6][7] Roldan was named the 2013 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, beating future Sounders teammate Jordan Morris from the Stanford Cardinal.[8]

During the college offseason, Roldan played in the Premier Development League for the Washington Crossfire.[9][10] He joined the team in 2013 as part of preparations to join the Huskies.[11] Roldan also played for the Portland Timbers U23s in the 2014 MLS Homegrown Game.[12]

Professional

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On January 8, 2015, it was announced that Roldan had left college early to sign a Generation Adidas contract with Major League Soccer.[13] He was expected to be selected early in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft, but was chosen late in the first round with the 16th overall pick by Seattle Sounders FC.[5][14] The Sounders traded with Real Salt Lake for the draft pick and had scouted Roldan during his offseason training sessions with the team.[5] After making two substitute appearances the first two weeks of the season against the New England Revolution and the San Jose Earthquakes, Roldan made a substitute appearance for USL affiliate club Seattle Sounders FC 2 on March 21 and scored an 89th-minute goal in a 4–2 victory over defending USL champion Sacramento Republic FC.[15] Due to injuries and international call-ups, he made his first MLS start the following week in a goalless draw away to FC Dallas.[16]

Roldan developed into a deep-lying midfielder and earned a regular place in the starting lineup under head coach Sigi Schmid following his performances as an "impact substitute".[17] He was compared to captain and defensive midfielder Osvaldo Alonso, who Roldan regarded as a mentor and ultimately replaced.[18] Roldan scored his first career Major League Soccer goal on July 13, 2016, during a 5–0 win over FC Dallas.[19] He formed a partnership and personal friendship with fellow rookie Jordan Morris—previously a collegiate rival—that was dubbed "Jorstian Mordan".[8][20]

On November 10, 2019, Roldan featured for Seattle in a 3–1 home win over Toronto FC in MLS Cup 2019; he was involved in the build-up to his team's opening goal, after colliding with Jonathan Osorio, who lost the ball, while Seattle went on to score with Kelvin Leerdam.[21] He also played all eight matches in Seattle's run to the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League title, providing one goal and five assists, and was named to the Team of the Tournament.[22][23] Roldan underwent groin surgery in August 2022 to treat a sports hernia, his first major injury during his professional career.[24] He returned to the team for their final three matches of the regular season as the Sounders failed to qualify for the playoffs.[25]

He signed a five-year contract extension with the Sounders in January 2023 alongside Morris.[26] Roldan suffered a concussion during a regular season match against St. Louis City SC in April and missed several matches while undergoing treatment; he resumed training in late May.[27] Roldan had a second concussion during a Leagues Cup match in July and underwent more treatment, including sleep monitoring, at a facility in Detroit.[28] He returned to play against FC Dallas on September 16.[29]

International career

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Roldan represented the United States at under-20 level. He was also eligible to represent either Guatemala or El Salvador through his parents,[30] and mentioned in an interview that he had been offered senior callups from both nations.[31] On July 12, 2017, he was cap-tied to the United States national team by starting their 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup group stage match against Martinique.[32]

Roldan and Sounders teammate Jordan Morris were called up to the final roster for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[8] Roldan had played limited minutes during the preceding World Cup qualifying campaign, but was chosen by Gregg Berhalter for his leadership in training and ability to play in several roles.[22][33]

Personal life

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Roldan was featured in an Adidas commercial as a nine-year-old, selected for his soccer ball juggling skills from 110 kids who tried out for the commercial.[34] Roldan is of Salvadoran and Guatemalan descent, and has an older brother named Cesar Jr., who works as a trainer for the LA Galaxy, and a younger brother Alex who has also played for the Sounders since 2019.[35][36]

He married physician assistant Ciana Baron on December 31, 2022.[26][37]

Career statistics

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Club

[edit]
As of match played November 30, 2024[38]
Appearances and goals by club, season, and competition
Club Season League Playoffs[a] National cup[b] Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Seattle Sounders FC 2 2015 USL 1 0 — — — — 1 0
Seattle Sounders FC 2015 MLS 22 0 3 0 1 0 6[c] 0 — 32 0
2016 MLS 33 4 6 0 3 1 — — 42 5
2017 MLS 33 6 5 0 0 0 — — 38 6
2018 MLS 34 4 1 0 0 0 4[c] 0 — 39 4
2019 MLS 29 6 4 0 0 0 — — 33 6
2020 MLS 22[d] 2 4 0 — 2[c] 1 1[e] 0 29 3
2021 MLS 28 6 1 0 — — 3[f] 1 32 7
2022 MLS 26 4 — 0 0 8[c] 1 — 34 5
2023 MLS 16 3 4 0 0 0 — 2[g] 0 22 3
2024 MLS 33 1 4 1 3 0 — 5[f] 0 45 2
Total 276 36 32 1 7 1 20 2 11 1 346 41
Career total 277 36 32 1 7 1 20 2 11 1 347 41
  1. ^ Includes MLS Cup playoffs
  2. ^ Includes U.S. Open Cup
  3. ^ a b c d Appearances in CONCACAF Champions League
  4. ^ Includes three appearances in MLS is Back Tournament group stage
  5. ^ Appearance in MLS is Back Tournament knockout stage
  6. ^ a b Appearances in Leagues Cup
  7. ^ One appearance in FIFA Club World Cup, one appearance in Leagues Cup

International

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As of match played July 12, 2023[39]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
United States 2017 1 0
2018 4 0
2019 14 0
2020 0 0
2021 11 0
2022 2 0
2023 5 0
Total 37 0

Honors

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Seattle Sounders FC

United States

Individual

References

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  1. ^ "40-Player National Team Roster: 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup: United States" (PDF). CONCACAF. p. 16. Retrieved May 21, 2019 – via Bernews.
  2. ^ "FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022: List of players: United States" (PDF). FIFA. November 15, 2022. p. 31. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  3. ^ "Cristian Roldan named Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year". USA Today High School Sports. May 20, 2013. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
  4. ^ a b Baker, Geoff (April 23, 2017). "How the Sounders' Cristian Roldan struck his own path in Pico Rivera". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Bird, Liviu (January 15, 2015). "Cristian Roldan's up-and-down draft day ends in ideal Seattle destination". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c Jiménez, Soudi (November 18, 2022). "Central American immigrants' World Cup dream comes true with Cristian Roldán of Team USA". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  7. ^ Camargo, Alberto (November 9, 2022). "The college careers of 8 USMNT World Cup players". NCAA.com. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  8. ^ a b c Evans, Jayda (November 19, 2022). "How Sounders standouts Cristian Roldan and Jordan Morris realized their World Cup dream". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  9. ^ "2013 Washington Crossfire stats". USLPDL.com. Premier Development League. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  10. ^ "2014 Washington Crossfire stats". USLPDL.com. Premier Development League. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  11. ^ Eskilson, J.R. (July 19, 2013). "Roldan's mystery makes him exciting". TopDrawerSoccer.com. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  12. ^ Bird, Liviu (August 5, 2014). "Game of the future: Three thoughts on inaugural MLS Homegrown Game". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  13. ^ "Major League Soccer announces 2015 Generation adidas class". MLSsoccer.com. Major League Soccer. January 8, 2015. Archived from the original on January 22, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  14. ^ "Sounders FC Selects Cristian Roldan in First Round of 2015 MLS SuperDraft". SoundersFC.com. Seattle Sounders FC. January 15, 2015. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  15. ^ "Match Recap: Sounders FC 2 earns 4–2 win over Sacramento in inaugural match". SoundersFC.com. Seattle Sounders FC. March 21, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  16. ^ "Sounders FC and FC Dallas play to a scoreless stalemate". SoundersFC.com. Seattle Sounders FC. March 28, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  17. ^ Pentz, Matt (June 5, 2015). "First-round pick Cristian Roldan a rising star on Sounders squad". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  18. ^ Evans, Jayda (May 3, 2019). "For Sounders' Cristian Roldan, relief and excitement ahead of match vs. friend, mentor Osvaldo Alonso". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  19. ^ Matt Pentz (July 13, 2016). "Sounders enjoy an easy 5-0 victory over Dallas, until losing Clint Dempsey to a red card". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  20. ^ Castillo, Arielle (July 7, 2017). "Morris, Roldan providing mutual support at US national team summer camp". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  21. ^ Armstrong, Laura (November 10, 2019). "Toronto FC cries foul after MLS Cup letdown". The Toronto Star. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
  22. ^ a b Evans, Jayda (November 9, 2022). "Sounders FC stars Cristian Roldan and Jordan Morris earn spots on U.S. men's World Cup roster". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  23. ^ a b "Lodeiro, Dinenno headline 2022 SCCL Best XI". CONCACAF. May 6, 2022. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  24. ^ Evans, Jayda (August 23, 2022). "Sounders star Cristian Roldan expected to miss 4-6 weeks after groin surgery". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  25. ^ Evans, Jayda (October 1, 2022). "Sounders might not be in playoffs race, but Cristian Roldan still has something to play for". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  26. ^ a b Evans, Jayda (January 19, 2023). "After signing long-term deals with Sounders, Morris and Roldan are 'hungry' to keep winning". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  27. ^ Evans, Jayda (May 24, 2023). "Injured Sounders stars Raul Ruidiaz, Cristian Roldan nearing returns". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  28. ^ Evans, Jayda (September 1, 2023). "What to watch for as Sounders host Timbers in Cascadia rivalry match". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  29. ^ Evans, Jayda (September 16, 2023). "Teenager Reed Baker-Whiting plays key role as Sounders tie FC Dallas". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  30. ^ Alicia Rodriguez (March 30, 2016). "Could Seattle Sounders' Cristian Roldan play for Guatemala or El Salvador?". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
  31. ^ Oficina de Comunicación MLS (July 14, 2016). "Cristian Roldán: "Quiero jugar para una selección; tengo tres opciones, Guatemala, El Salvador y EEUU"". Univision.com. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  32. ^ U.S. Soccer (July 12, 2017). "Lineup Notes: MNT vs. Martinique – 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup". USSoccer.com. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  33. ^ Tenorio, Paul (November 17, 2022). "At the World Cup, 'glue guys' can have a big impact without playing a minute". The Athletic. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  34. ^ "Cristian Roldan: From commercial star to Sounders rookie". komonews.com. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  35. ^ Baker, Geoff (January 19, 2018). "Sounders select Alex Roldan, younger brother of Cristian Roldan, in first round of MLS SuperDraft". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
  36. ^ Baker, Geoff (August 1, 2017). "Sounders' Cristian Roldan remembers the sacrifices his parents made in Pico Rivera". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
  37. ^ "Profile: Cristian Roldan". U.S. Soccer. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  38. ^ Cristian Roldan at Soccerway
  39. ^ Cristian Roldan at National-Football-Teams.com
  40. ^ "U.S. men's national team defeats Jamaica to win CONCACAF Gold Cup". USA Today. July 26, 2017. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  41. ^ "United States beats Mexico in Gold Cup final on late Miles Robinson header". ESPN. August 1, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
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