Brian Schmetzer thinks Cristian Roldan deserves more of a USMNT shot

After another masterful display, the Sounders boss said he hoped Gregg Berhalter is paying attention

After another masterful performance by Cristian Roldan on Sunday, Seattle Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer implored his U.S. national team counterpart Gregg Berhalter to give the midfielder more of a shot.

Roldan scored a worldie against Minnesota United, and added an assist and a drawn penalty in a 3-1 win.

The 26-year-old has been an ever-present for the Sounders since he was drafted in 2015, becoming one of the best and most versatile midfielders in MLS.

Roldan has earned 31 caps with the USMNT but is clearly behind several players in Berhalter’s midfield hierarchy. He made just five appearances in the USMNT’s 14 World Cup qualifiers this cycle, all of which came from the bench.

With the World Cup approaching and Roldan appearing to be squarely on the roster bubble, Schmetzer had a message for Berhalter after Sunday’s game.

“Cristian has been doing that for a long, long time, and we are grateful,” Schmetzer told reporters. “We as coaches never overlook all the small details that he brings to the team and the game. He causes penalties because his movement is aggressive inside the penalty box. He attacks the prime assist zone well, he just puts himself in harm’s way at times. So that’s just part of who he is. And today was another good performance that I hope other people – not just the fans and us – I hope people are paying attention.”

If there was any doubt who the “people” were in this instance, Schmetzer made it abundantly clear a bit later.

“My earlier comment about making sure that people were watching was specific to a group of people, in case you guys didn’t catch that,” he said. “I think Cristian is very valuable in his tactical acumen, his physical contributions and you know, the guy’s a winner. The guy wants to win, hates to lose. I think sometimes he borders on that. He doesn’t like losing. And that is something that I think is a good quality to have. So the competitiveness is there, his determination.

“We might play a little different than Gregg, we try and attack the prime assist zone maybe a little bit more often. And then look, the goal he scored, he’s done that in years past, he’s had a couple of goals from outside of the box as well. So again, he’s been a great player for us. And wherever his final outcome is with the national team, I keep my fingers crossed.”

Watch Roldan’s goal vs. MN United