Seattle Sounders midfielder Cristian Roldan scored his first goal for the Rave Green during a U.S. Open Cup match at Starfire Stadium on Wednesday, and the first-round draft pick at the 2015 MLS SuperDraft said he was a bit surprised that it took so long to get his first.
“Yeah, I’ve hit the post a couple of times,” Roldan said. “But it’s good to finally score and hopefully I build on it.”
The goal opened the scoring for the Sounders at a crucial time as the match was waning and Kitsap Pumas were sitting back and playing on the counter. Roldan flicked on an Aaron Kovar cross, looping it neatly over the goal keeper and into the far post netting, keying the 2-0 win.
“It was kind of a scramble, Kovar put in a decent ball, it deflected, and I was able to get a touch on it,” Roldan said of the goal.
Roldan’s goal forced the Pumas to open up and eventually led to defender Joevin Jones’ goal in the 91st minute to lock the game up for the Sounders.
Red Bulls' “continuity” key to their success, says Schmid
The Sounders will travel to Harrison, N.J. to meet the New York Red Bulls on Sunday afternoon (4:30 pm P.T. FS1, KIRO Radio 97.3 FM, El Rey 1360AM) and look to continue upon their recent winning form.
“We’ve got two wins in a row including Open Cup,” said Roldan. “Now we’re back on the road and we want to be on winning terms.”
The Red Bulls will also be looking to continue their winning form, as they’ve risen from the bottom of the eastern conference to second place since the opening of the season.
“We’re looking forward to playing them,” said head coach Sigi Schmid. “They played really well prior to the break so it’s going to be a good game.”
The Red Bulls are currently on a three-match MLS win streak, including a 7-0 thrashing of cross town rivals New York City FC. As defending Supporters' Shield champions as well, it’s no secret that they are one of the most formidable sides in MLS.
“I think the thing that’s really helped their team is they’ve stayed with their front six; they’ve stayed pretty injury-free over the last 18 months,” he said. “I can’t remember the last time they’ve had to make a change at midfield…When you have that sort of continuity it makes it easier to develop a rhythm of play.”
