It’s impossible to capture Cristian Roldan’s full influence on the Seattle Sounders.
Capable of playing anywhere on the pitch, Roldan started the year as a central midfielder in Seattle’s 4-2-3-1 formation before putting in a dominant performance as a winger in the Rave Green’s 3-0 win over Club León on Tuesday night.
Roldan, who made his 250th appearance for the club across all competitions, put on an absolute masterclass against the Liga MX giants as he drew the penalty for the first goal before notching assists on the second and third.
“I told Cristian just give me one more chance and I’ll bury it,” Morris said of Roldan, who set up his close-range finish to make it 3-0 in the 90th minute. “He put a great ball in the box and I’m thankful for that.”
Nominally playing a more attacking role against Club León, Roldan led the team with his determined defending from the front. Roldan posted one tackle, four aerial duels won and 11 recoveries as the Sounders recorded a crucial shutout, with away goals being the primary tiebreaker ahead of Leg Two in Mexico on March 17 (5:30 p.m. PT).
On the attacking side, Roldan led the team with five key passes and spurred the Sounders forward every time he got on the ball.
While the metrics from Roldan’s latest game-winning performance are impressive in their own right, they fail to illustrate all of the intangibles he brings to the table for the Sounders.
“Cristian’s emotional ties to our success is what I prefer to look at,” Head Coach Brian Schmetzer said when discussing Roldan’s metrics from the win. “You can go on SofaScore, FotMob, or look at all the data you want, but his emotional leadership on the field… is what makes him a special player.”
Schmetzer pointed to the Roldan nearly scored at the end of the match, where he made a lung-busting run the length of the field to get into the box to try and score a fourth goal.
“That’s Cristian,” said Schmetzer. “He never gives up. He never quits. Whether it’s the first minute or the 94th minute, that’s his emotional contribution to the team. It is far and away greater than any statistic that you guys can throw at me.”
Roldan and the Sounders face a quick turnaround as they host the LA Galaxy (12:30 p.m. PT; FOX, FOX Deportes, 1090 KJR AM, El Rey 1360AM | TICKETS) in a Western Conference clash on Saturday before traveling to Mexico to take on Club León in the second leg of the Concacaf Champions League Quarterfinals on Thursday.
