Before 2026 World Cup match, Cristian Roldan relives glory days at UW
Husky Soccer Stadium has had some upgrades since Cristian Roldan last played for UW in 2014. What hasn't changed in a decade is the surface still being a field of hope.
"This is where I was grinding and wanting a chance to play at Lumen Field," Roldan said Thursday. "The idea of having hope is one of my core memories here."
More than a decade ago, the motivation was to play professionally with the Sounders. Now co-captain of the MLS club, the work in his return is to play for the U.S. men's national team in a FIFA World Cup match.
Roldan and the Americans will play Australia on Friday at noon for their second Group D match. The sides are entering confidently after winning their tournament openers.
The U.S. pounded Paraguay 4-1 last week before 70,492 fans at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.
This is Roldan's second consecutive World Cup experience, but he's still waiting to make his debut. There's a possibility it could happen Friday for two reasons - Roldan had two assists in a win against the Socceroos last fall and USMNT midfielder Tyler Adams was shown a yellow card against Paraguay.
Players are suspended for one match when they've accumulated two yellow cards.
"It would be extra special seeing the field here," Roldan said of playing at Lumen Field (Seattle Stadium during the World Cup) while wearing the U.S. crest. "Not only for me, but the city of Seattle."
USMNT teammates ogled at UW's soccer setting on the edge of Lake Washington. The warm midmorning training session was on lush, FIFA-grade grass and had Mount Rainier's snowcapped beauty as a backdrop.
When Roldan starred on the field for two seasons (2013-2014), the fall-winter season was a more quintessential, chilly, rainy Seattle affair where, if seated atop the grandstand, you could forget the mountain is there.
Former UW women's soccer coach Lesle Gallimore remembers Roldan instantly grabbing attention on the field. The versatile midfielder with basketball-like hops started all 22 games his freshman season in 2013, scoring seven goals with five assists and was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.
"When he got on the field, he was a general," recalled Gallimore, who's currently the Reign's general manager. "He ran the field figuratively and literally, and still does. If you could count the blades of grass on the field, he's touching most of them."
As a sophomore, Roldan had three goals and two assists and earned another All-Pac-12 first-team honor. The first score of that 12-5-3 UW season is the memory that's the strongest when Roldan looks over the field.
On a 67-degree day in September, rival Seattle U traveled to Husky Soccer Stadium for a match in front of 1,006 fans. In the starting lineup was freshman Alex Roldan, Cristian's youngest brother.
UW buried SU 4-1. Cristian scored off a header in the 27th minute.
The USMNT is undefeated in five matches at Lumen. The last was the Copa América in 2016, but the most significant was a World Cup qualifying win against Panama in 2013.
It was the first USMNT match since the Kingdome was demolished and capacity was limited to approximately 45,000 because of a Mariners game that day. There's a baseball game on Friday, but FIFA set seating at 66,925.
The match against Australia is sold out with resale prices soaring.
"Seeing the Belgium game against Egypt and how the atmosphere was there, I fully expect the city of Seattle to come out and show out," Roldan said. "The guys are going to feel that type of energy. … What excites me is the entire nation is behind us. They enjoyed watching us play (against Paraguay), and at the end of the day, what we want to do is inspire and motivate the next generation."
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