Seattle Sounders midfielder Cristian Roldan started and played 90 minutes on Sunday for the United States in a 3-0 loss friendly to Venezuela at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. Sounders forward Jordan Morris entered in the 62nd minute for Tyler Boyd on the wing.
Venezuela opened the scoring in the 16th minute when SalomĂ³n RondĂ³n capitalized on an errant pass from goalkeeper Zack Steffen, finishing at the near post. The visitors then doubled their advantage through Jefferson Savarino in the 30th minute before RondĂ³n bagged a brace six minutes later.
In a match marked by a lack of clear-cut opportunities for the Stars & Stripes, two of the United States’ best chances came from Morris and Roldan.
Shortly after entering the match, Morris cut inside onto his left foot and nearly picked out the bottom corner with a curled effort.
In the 79th minute, Roldan put the ball on a platter for Paul Arriola with a looping cross, but the D.C. United winger managed to steer his volley right at the Venezuelan goalkeeper.
With two appearances in the USMNT’s last two outings, Roldan now has 11 caps for the United States, while Morris brought his total to 28.
The United States kicks off their 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup campaign on June 18 with a match against Guyana (7:00 p.m. PT; FS1, UniMĂ¡s)
