As the Seattle Sounders announced themselves to the world on Sunday in their FIFA Club World Cup 2025 opener against Brazil’s Botafogo, perhaps it was only fitting for Cristian Roldan to find the score sheet.
The 11-year veteran bleeds Rave Green. He is a Sounder through and through and all the best parts of what this club represents. He also has the most appearances in Sounders history by a field player and he just turned 30 two weeks ago. Despite falling 2-1 to Botafogo on Matchday 1 in Group B, there was no one better to score Seattle’s historic first goal of the tournament when he dove to head in a cross from Paul Rothrock in the 75th minute.
“At 2-0 you have nothing to lose,” Roldan said. “We talked about keeping the score line at two and giving ourselves a chance to get back in the game. We felt that if we got one goal, we could ride that momentum and potentially make a game out of it. What you saw was intensity, mentality and a bit of class showing that we can play through them.”
Sunday night’s performance from Roldan was exactly the type of impassioned and gritty effort that Head Coach Brian Schmetzer was looking to see from his team. Roldan and Obed Vargas, his running mate in central midfield and precocious Academy product, put in a masterful display on both sides of the ball.
“I thought they were excellent,” Schmetzer said of Roldan and Vargas. “They controlled large parts of the game. Cristian is always going to give you that extra effort, that determination.
“Obed Vargas is a super talent,” he continued. “[You can see] that that kid is headed for bigger things. He was excellent tonight. His ability to wiggle out of things, his power, his pace, his running. He was excellent.”
The Sounders understand there are no moral victories, though, and will feel hard done by the result, knowing several opportunities were there for the taking. Roldan mentioned how finishing in the box is what separates teams at this level, with entire matches and tournaments played within the finest of margins.
“It’s the spirit of the team, the spirit of the club,” said Vargas. “We never quit. We never give up. We were down 2-0. Cristian has a great effort on his goal and the team was pushing. We could feel it. We were all going forward, and I think we deserved more at the end.”
Seattle will need much of the same from Roldan and Vargas as even bigger challenges loom. The Sounders will take on Spain’s Atlético Madrid on Matchday 2 on Thursday (3 p.m. PT; Watch free on DAZN.com | TICKETS) before battling reigning UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain next Monday (12 p.m. PT; Watch free on DAZN.com | TICKETS). They understand that there is pride at stake as well. Not just for the organization, but for all of Major League Soccer and the city of Seattle.
The overwhelming consensus? If the Sounders can replicate an effort like their second half on Sunday in each of their next two contests, anything can happen.
“I’d love to see a performance where we bring intensity,” said Roldan. “We show that we can compete at that level. We show that not only we can compete from an intensity and an athletic standpoint, but from a tactical standpoint. We can show that this league is good enough on the world stage.”
Added Schmetzer: “The road doesn’t get any easier, but if they play like that, they can compete. I’m not going to say that we’re going to beat Atlético or PSG because they looked good today, but I mean we want to be competitive. We want to showcase our team. We want to showcase our players. We want to showcase our city. I think we represented ourselves very well tonight.”
