Cristian Roldan


Cristian Roldan is an American professional soccer player, who currently plays as a midfielder for Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer.

Career

College and amateur

Roldan was named the 2013 Gatorade National Player of the Year in soccer while attending El Rancho High School in Pico Rivera, California.
Roldan spent his college career at the University of Washington. In his two seasons with the Huskies, Roldan made a total of 41 appearances and tallied 10 goals and seven assists and helped lead the team to a Pac-12 title in 2013.
Roldan also played in the Premier Development League for the Washington Crossfire.

Professional

On January 8, 2015, it was announced that Roldan had left college early to sign a Generation Adidas contract with Major League Soccer. On January 15, he was selected 16th overall in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft by Seattle Sounders FC. 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. Due to injuries and international call-ups, he made his first MLS start the following week in a goalless draw away to FC Dallas.
Roldan scored his first career MLS goal on July 13, 2016, during a 5–0 win over FC Dallas.
On November 10, 2019, Roldan featured for Seattle in a 3–1 home win over Toronto FC in the 2019 MLS Cup Final; 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.

International

Roldan represented the United States at under-20 level. He was also eligible to represent either Guatemala or El Salvador through his parents, and mentioned in an interview that he had been offered senior callups from both nations. 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.

Career statistics

International

Source:

Honors

Club

;Seattle Sounders FC
;United States
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. Roldan is of Salvadorian 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 also plays for the Seattle Sounders as of 2019.