Meet Cristian Roldan.
The legendary Seattle Sounders FC midfielder will represent the United States at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Roldan is one of two MLS midfielders on the USMNT roster, alongside Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps FC).
- Age: 30
- Hometown: Pico Rivera, California
MLS background
Roldan has spent his entire 12-year professional career with Seattle and has been a constant in the Sounders' midfield ever since his introduction to the league.
The midfielder has led Seattle to the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs in every season of his career but one, and now sports the captain's armband.
Roldan has helped the Rave Green win two MLS Cup titles, a historic Concacaf Champions Cup trophy and, most recently, Leagues Cup 2025.
Awards & stats
- 40g/55a in 319 MLS appearances
- 2025 MLS Best-XI honoree
- 2021 MLS All-Star
- 2x MLS Cup champion (2016, '19)
- 2022 Concacaf Champions Cup champion
- 2025 Leagues Cup champion
International experience
- Caps: 45
- Goals: 0
After featuring at the 2022 World Cup and the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup, it looked as though Roldan's international career had come to a close.
However, amid a strong 2025 club season, the Sounders midfielder caught head coach Mauricio Pochettino's eye and returned to the fold in September of last year. He's gone on to feature in every match since that point.
This will be Roldan's second World Cup appearance after making the team for Qatar 2022. He's still looking for his tournament debut.
World Cup schedule
The United States are in Group D alongside Paraguay, Australia and Türkiye.
- June 12: USA vs. Paraguay, 9 pm ET | Los Angeles, California
- June 19: USA vs. Australia, 3 pm ET | Seattle, Washington
- June 25: USA vs. Türkiye, 10 pm ET | Los Angeles, California
The 2026 World Cup, which runs from June 11 to July 19, has expanded from the usual 32 nations to 48 total.
The top two teams advance from each group, and the top eight third-place finishers also make the knockout phase (Round of 32).
World Cup history
This will be the United States' 12th World Cup appearance and second time hosting the tournament (1994).
The program's best-ever finish came in the inaugural 1930 edition (third place), though their best result of the modern era was a quarterfinal finish in 2002.
How USA qualified
As co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup, alongside Canada and Mexico, the US automatically qualified for the tournament.
