Cristian Roldan

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, which he captains, and the United States national team. 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.

Early life 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 was also named the 2013 Gatorade National Player of the Year in soccer while attending El Rancho High School in Pico Rivera, California.

College and amateur Roldan 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. In his junior year, he had 21 goals and 21 assists for El Rancho and also played for youth club Union Independiente. During the 2012–13 season, he scored 54 goals and 30 assists and led El Rancho to a regional high school championship. Roldan was scouted by the University of Washington at a tournament in San Diego and spent his college career with the Washington Huskies. 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. Roldan was named the 2013 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, beating future Sounders teammate Jordan Morris from the Stanford Cardinal. During the college offseason, Roldan played in the Premier Development League for the Washington Crossfire. He joined the team in 2013 as part of preparations to join the Huskies. Roldan also played for the Portland Timbers U23s in the 2014 MLS Homegrown Game.

Professional On January 8, 2015, it was announced that Roldan had left college early to sign a Generation Adidas contract with Major League Soccer. 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. The Sounders traded with Real Salt Lake for the draft pick and had scouted Roldan during his offseason training sessions with the team. 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 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". He was compared to captain and defensive midfielder Osvaldo Alonso, who Roldan regarded as a mentor and ultimately replaced. Roldan scored his first career Major League Soccer goal on July 13, 2016, during a 5–0 win over FC Dallas. He formed a partnership and personal friendship with fellow rookie Jordan Morris—previously a collegiate rival—that was dubbed "Jorstian Mordan". In December 2018, Roldan agreed to a five-year, $4-million dollar contract extension with the Sounders.