Cristian Roldan has been overlooked his entire life. A 5-foot-8 midfielder from a small town in southern California, he didn’t have a single offer to play college soccer heading into his senior year of high school.
So when team after team passed on him at the 2015 MLS SuperDraft, it was nothing new for the University of Washington product. He was still anxious, however, knowing that the first stop in his professional career was out of his control.
“It was hectic. My heart was racing,” Roldan said after Thursday’s draft. “I didn’t know what to expect coming in, and you weigh out your options and you realize the more you drop, the better team you’ll be drafted to.”
Roldan fell all the way to the No. 16 pick and Sounders FC, the club he was hoping would draft him.
The UW was one of very few schools that recruited Roldan before he was named Gatorade National Player of the Year late in his senior year. He was a star from the moment he arrived in Seattle, earning Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors in 2013 for notching seven goals and five assists.
Roldan knows many of the Sounders FC players from his two years in the Emerald City. His younger brother plays soccer at Seattle University, another reason why Roldan was hoping to be drafted by the Rave Green.
“I just know Seattle, who has been there for me in the past, is there for me now,” he said. “I couldn’t be more excited for the opportunity they have given me.”
Along with former UW teammate Darwin Jones, Roldan is especially close with Osvaldo Alonso. He looks forward to learning from the MLS All-Star and fellow central midfielder Gonzalo Pineda in the coming years.
A talented attacking midfielder, Roldan was projected in most mock drafts to be taken second overall by New York City FC. When he was still available after the first few picks, the Sounders started talking with teams about trading up from their No. 27 position early in the second round. General Manager Garth Lagerwey eventually made a deal with his former club, Real Salt Lake.
“We were surprised he fell out of the top two,” Lagerwey said. “We were working, pick by pick, to try to get value for him to trade up.”
Roldan had a huge grin on his face as he walked to the stage after finally hearing his name called.
Though Lagerwey just recently joined the club, Head Coach Sigi Schmid and the rest of the technical staff have seen a lot of Roldan over the last two years. They think the 19-year-old will fit right in with the Rave Green.
“He’s definitely a quality player,” Schmid said. “He’s very good technically, he’s got good vision, and he’s a good passer of the ball. He can play inside midfield or outside midfield. As you can tell, he’s a very humble kid, very respectful. He knows our team inside and out. He can’t wait to learn from our veteran players. He wants to compete, because that’s his nature, but he also wants to learn from those guys.”
Roldan’s remarkable ball skills have been on display since he was very young. Below is the video of an adidas commercial he starred in when he was nine years old.
