For over a decade, Sounders midfielder Cristian Roldan has proven to be one of the top midfielders in MLS, not only due to his underlying talent, but his longevity as a player.
His recent achievement of 300 regular season appearances on Aug. 10 vs. LA Galaxy is a clear reflection of that as he becomes the first field player in Sounders' franchise history to attain such a feat.
"It means a whole lot, because this club, has so much history, and so many good players have have come through this club," said Roldan. "It just means I'm getting old. It means that they can't get rid of me. But in all seriousness, just definitely proud to be part of that club, because not a lot of people are part of it."
To commemorate his recent milestone, we asked Roldan to name his top five favorite regular season matches since joining the Sounders in 2015. Check them out below:
NOTE: These are in chronological order.
March 8th, 2015 vs. New England Revolution | Sounders Debut
In the third minute of second-half stoppage time, Roldan subbed into the match, making his Seattle Sounders debut following a successful two seasons with the University of Washington Huskies. While the California native only had one minute of pitch time, he looks back on the night as a "very proud moment for himself." The team went on to win 3-0 over Eastern Conference side New England Revolution in their 2015 home opener.
"Just not knowing what my future in soccer looked like, and to be subbed on for Gonzo, Gonzalo Pineda, it's just a true full circle moment for me," said Roldan.
October 23, 2016 vs. Real Salt Lake | Decison Day
In the 31st minute, RSL 'keeper Nick Rimando's intital save from Roman Torres' header attempt landed in front of Roldan, who managed to stab the ball home from point-blank range. Roldan's game-winner pushed the Sounders to fourth place in the West, earning them hosting privileges to their opening playoff match against Sporting Kansas City before earning their first-ever MLS Cup trophy.
"I think Decision Day on 2016 was really special for for me in particular," said Roldan. "Schmetz had just taken over. We needed to win on Decision Day to put ourselves in a good spot for the playoffs. I ended up scoring the second goal, and we ended up winning 2-1, I believe. And [then] we ended up winning [MLS Cup]. So it was a double whammy there."
July 19th, 2017 vs. D.C. United
It was a memorable night to say the least, with the Rave Green making a historic comeback over Eastern Conference side D.C. United. Just four minutes after Gustav Svensson provided the equalizing goal for the Rave Green, Roldan took a large touch forward and ultilized his speed to outrun defender Steve Birnbaum before executing a driven ball into the back of the net to secure the win for his team.
"We were losing 3-0 to DC, and I was the fourth goal to come back. All, [goals], in the second half," said Roldan. "So that was really special. My parents were in the crowd for that one."
July 23rd, 2017 vs. San Jose Earthquakes
Roldan recorded the Sounders' fastest brace in club history to push a 2-0 lead on the 'Quakes before teammate Kelvin Leerdam capped off the night with a third goal in the 65th minute. Roldan's first came in the 54th minute when an initial Leerdam throw-in found Svensson inside the box who then flicked the ball in the direction of the midfielder. From there, Roldan redirected the ball with his head and into the goal to give the team their first goal of the night. Then in the 56th, Roldan pressured and eventually stole the ball from defender Víctor Bernárdez, sending him on a dribble in front of goal where he rocketed the ball into the far-post.
"I just got back from Gold Cup. Disappointed, I wanted to make an impact with the Sounders, and scored two goals."
August 15, 2021 at Portland Timbers | Cascadia Rivalry
The Seattle Sounders accomplished a historic win at Providence Park in 2021, defeating the Portland Timbers by a whopping score of 6-2; the result signified the largest-scoring margin in the two teams' history of Cascadia matches. This match comes as one Roldan's favorites not because of any goals or assists he provided, but because of the atmosphere winning the rivalry match on the road in that manner.
"That one was fun. Honestly, I would think I was more of a spectator in that game," said Roldan. "Just to to be on the road, winning against your arch rivals, and with the type of goals that we scored was really special. Just watching that, being almost being a fan, seeing that first hand was really nice."
