“Soccer can change so fast.”
Those were Cristian Roldan’s first words to TNT sideline reporter Melissa Ortiz after his star turn in the US men’s national team’s 2-1 comeback win over Australia at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Tuesday night. And he knows all too well how small instances in a match can turn into massive moments.
The Seattle Sounders FC icon has built a memorable career on winning such situations, minding the small margins on his way to two MLS Cup triumphs, this year’s Leagues Cup trophy, a historic Concacaf Champions Cup (née League) title in 2022, a place on the United States’ 2022 FIFA World Cup squad and so many more highlights over the past decade. And he seems to have done it yet again.
Just like man-of-the-match goalscorer Haji Wright, Roldan made the plays that mattered most on this crisp, mile-high night in Commerce City, Colorado, bagging assists on both goals, connecting 47 of 52 passes and leading the defensive effort in the USMNT midfield. It powered the Yanks’ rally from a discouraging early deficit to overcome a brutally physical Socceroos outfit who snuck a soft early goal via Jordan Bos and pushed their hosts to their limits in more ways than one.
“I could have done better on the first goal, and then to bounce back and have two assists – obviously, as a professional, you've got to have a short-term memory, and hopefully I contributed with my teammates,” Roldan said. “And, you know, it's a win. It probably wasn't the prettiest, but it was probably a game that we needed in terms of duels and intensity. So proud of the group and proud to be part of it.”
From exile to spotlight
It was almost exactly six weeks ago that Roldan was on an international break vacation in Chelan, Washington with several Sounders teammates and their families, relaxing in the afterglow of the Rave Green’s emphatic win over Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF in the Leagues Cup final, when his phone started ringing.
After two years away from the USMNT and precious little sign that he was even on coach Mauricio Pochettino’s mind, Roldan was extended a late invite to join the Yanks a few days into their September camp on the opposite side of the continent in New Jersey.
He answered the call, made a positive impression with his minutes vs. South Korea and Japan, and now might not only have an inside track on a World Cup 2026 roster spot, but maybe even a place in the starting XI.
“He is what we need,” said Pochettino postgame. “We need a player with confidence, with self-belief, with a little bit arrogance, with a little bit, you know, the being naughty, being competitive. And maybe Cristian Roldan is an example of how, if you want to build your perfect player, he has a little bit of everything.
“I don't say that he’s going to be in the next roster or is going to be in the World Cup. But I think at the moment, or so far, after last camp and now, it's a player that we wanted to give the opportunity, we gave the opportunity, and look what is going on.”
Signs of progress
In that sense, the statements made by Roldan, his engine-room partner James Sands and Wright, the Coventry City standout and ex-LA Galaxy academy prospect who delivered both his goals with devastating elegance, epitomized the steadily improving vibes around the program at large.
This match could have easily pivoted in another direction and spiraled out of the USMNT’s grasp. There was plenty of blame to go around on Bos’ opener, with several players looking hesitant or inattentive on a play that began with a simple throw-in down Australia’s left flank. Conceding the early advantage to an opponent so adept at sitting in and absorbing pressure looked disastrous, and the early exit of star playmaker Christian Pulisic with a hamstring concern deepened the alarm.
Yet the Yanks responded, rallying from a deficit for the second game in a row and restoring a positive air as the scene shifts to next month’s friendlies vs. Paraguay and Uruguay as the clock ticks relentlessly down to next summer’s main event.
There’s plenty to work on, yes, but a good collective spirit for the labor.
“I am pleased, but I wanted more. I wanted to see more. I wanted to perform better. I wanted to see individual players doing better. But that is my competitive blood,” said Pochettino. “We cannot concede the goal that we concede, no? When you arrive to the World Cup, you cannot concede this type of goal … But I think overall, I am so happy.”
Part of that, it seems, is driven by the strong impression made by Roldan.
“You have to manifest being here, right?” said the Sounders veteran. “My wife and I kept saying that we believe that we can make a late run, make a late push. And hopefully, hopefully I'm making my case. But Pochettino has done a great job of making me feel confident and comfortable here, and so just proud to be part of this, and hopefully I'm part of the next game.”
