Cristian Roldan is re-living his path to pro during this year’s FIFA World Cup 2026TM.
Roldan and the U.S. Men’s National Team kicked off their 2026 campaign at SoFi stadium, just 30 minutes to where he grew up and found his love for the game in Pico Rivera, Calif. Following a stellar 4-1 performance over Paraguay on June 12, the team is now set to face Australia in Seattle (June 19, 12 p.m. PT) — the place where Roldan had a historic collegiate career and blossomed into one of the most successful Sounders in club history.
“I feel at home,” Cristian Roldan said to media prior to the U.S. 's Matchday minus 1 training session held at Husky Soccer Stadium. “I feel like this is where my journey began here in Seattle… I scored plenty of goals here at the University of Washington, and I'm thankful to have this full circle moment.”
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A special moment for the veteran player, no doubt, Roldan will be competing in front of not only his friends and family, but Seattle fans that have fallen in love with his grit and undying commitment to the Rave Green since 2015. When asked what it would mean to him to step onto the pitch wearing the U.S. crest, he said he had “goosebumps just thinking about it.”
“I think people see me as a Seattleite, and I've given my heart and soul to this club,” he said. “To be able to see the field would be a dream come true, and I think it would be special, not only for me, but I think for the city of Seattle as well.”
The last time Roldan and the U.S. faced Australia was during a friendly match on Oct. 14, where the midfielder guided the team to a 2-1 comeback victory while contributing two assists. The idea is to emulate that, while understanding that there are some slight differences in the Socceroos tactics since they last went head-to-head.
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“I felt [when they played] Turkey, they were very dynamic in the counter-attack. I think against our group, they possessed the ball for more bouts of the game than the Turkey game,” said Roldan. “And so, making sure that our active defending is really good, making sure that we don't go down early, because this is a team that will drop back into a really low block, and that's when it becomes really difficult to break down 9, 10, guys behind the ball.”
With that, it will also be about feeding off the crowd at Seattle Stadium. Roldan knows exactly how to harness that energy, having played there as a Sounder in high-stakes matches such as 2019 MLS Cup, the 2022 Concacaf Champions League Final, and the 2025 Leagues Cup Final.
“The city is ready,” said Roldan. This is probably the biggest game Seattle will probably have in terms of soccer, and so I'm excited for the city to come out and show their energy.“
“But this is a sports town, and they treat every big moment like that, like it's the World Cup final.”
