It’s hard to call it a resurgence if his level has always been incredibly high, but somehow Seattle Sounders midfielder Cristian Roldan has been in a career renaissance over the past year.
A Swiss Army Knife of a player, Roldan is capable of playing (and having played) just about everywhere on the pitch for Head Coach Brian Schmetzer. Roldan began his professional tenure as a two-way central midfielder. Gradually he dropped deeper into a more defensive midfield role before being deployed as an inverted right winger for a few seasons.
But when Schmetzer decided to put Roldan back into the middle of the park last season and work alongside Obed Vargas in a double-pivot, he has been playing some of the best soccer of his life.
“I don’t have enough superlatives,” wrote MLSSoccer.com’s Matt Doyle of Roldan heading into the 2025 season. “It was genuinely the best run of games from any d-mid I saw in MLS last year.”
That was never more evident than over the past couple weeks when the Sounders competed against some of the world’s best in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
“I had a good mentality going into this tournament that I can be on the same field and compete against these guys,” said Roldan. “I think I’m still playing at a high level, and I hope that I’ve changed a couple perspectives about myself. I can compete at this level.”
Roldan, who just turned 30 earlier this month, is already a club legend. He has the most appearances for an outfield player in franchise history, has been a captain of the MLS All-Star Game and has represented the United States at a FIFA World Cup. Yet despite all this, at the moment it feels like the best is still to come.
“He was great,” said forward Jordan Morris of his longtime friend. “Cristian is such a leader on and off the field. He works so incredibly hard, and he’s the heartbeat of the team. He pushes us forward. His work rate defensively, tracking back, winning balls, breaking up counters and then going forward. He played awesome. I’m really proud of him. I told him after how proud of him I was. I was super excited to have him showcase like that on a stage like this. He’s done amazing things for this club. That was another one.”
It was only fitting that Roldan scored Seattle’s goal against Botafogo on Matchday 1, further cementing his name in history as the first Sounder to score in a FIFA Club World Cup match. But again, it was his effort on both sides of the ball this tournament against some of the best midfielders in the world that turned heads.
“We should be talking about this for years to come because these three games …[especially] against Botafogo and Atlético, [Roldan] was the best player on the field,” said Schmetzer.
Roldan’s play over the past few weeks, coupled with his influence through the first half of the MLS season, has raised some questions about his future with the U.S. Men’s National Team. There is competition for two-way midfielders in new Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino’s squad, and a return to the Red, White & Blue for the first time since the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup isn’t as implausible as it perhaps once was.
If and when that day does come, Roldan, who already has 33 caps, will be eager to remind everyone why he’s one of this country’s best midfielders.
“Poch has to decide that,” said Roldan. “I made my case. That’s up to the coach, that’s up to the technical staff, but the door is always open. I always feel like I have a lot to give, whether it’s on the field, off the field—I’m a competitor. I’m going to make the guys around me better. I’m going to compete at a very high level. I felt that I showed that this tournament. If Poch wants to send an invite, it’s always welcome here.”
