Tag: Cristian Roldan

Schmetzer threatens to keep Morris and Roldan off USMNT Gold Cup roster

“If [Roldan and Morris] have a choice, I’m sure they’re going to go. I’m not so sure they have a choice”

Seattle Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer has threatened to not release U.S. national team duo Cristian Roldan and Jordan Morris for the upcoming Gold Cup.

The pair was named to B.J. Callaghan’s 23-man squad for the tournament that kicks off later this month. With MLS opting not to pause for the Gold Cup, Roldan and Morris could miss as many as six Sounders games.

While club coaches are usually happy to see their players recognized with international call-ups, Schmetzer’s issues are twofold: First, both players are coming off injuries and second, Callaghan’s interim status means that neither player is guaranteed a spot under the USMNT’s permanent boss no matter how well they perform.

“It’s because of the injuries, yes, first and foremost,” Schmetzer told the media on Wednesday in quotes published in the Seattle Times. “But it’s a funny time in U.S. Soccer. Who’s really in charge? Maybe the new coach, whoever that may be, maybe they like Cristian, maybe they don’t. Maybe they like Jordan, maybe they don’t. Who are they playing for now?”

“If [Roldan and Morris] have a choice, I’m sure they’re going to go,” Schmetzer added. “I’m not so sure they have a choice.”

Roldan has only recently returned after missing two months due to a concussion, while Morris came back last weekend after missing two games with an adductor strain.

“U.S. Soccer should take into consideration fixture congestion and other factors, but I can’t tell you if that’s really going to make a difference,” Schmetzer said. “They’re aware of Cristian’s concussion and him having to come out of the [Charlotte game Saturday] with cramps. Jordan coming back half injured, we’ve told them that.”

Still, Schmetzer admitted that with the pair eyeing a potential place on the 2026 World Cup roster, he’d likely release them if they are healthy.

“At the end of the day, I still go back to what keeps me grounded is those guys as individuals,” the coach said. “If they’re going to potentially be involved in 2026, then you’ve got to let them go.”

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Cristian Roldan set to miss USMNT friendlies after sports hernia surgery

Gregg Berhalter will be without a trusted option against Japan and Saudi Arabia

It looks like Cristian Roldan won’t be on Gregg Berhalter’s final pre-World Cup roster.

The Seattle Sounders announced that the U.S. men’s national team midfielder underwent sports hernia surgery Tuesday morning.

“Cristian, after seeing a couple of specialists down in LA, actually underwent a successful groin surgery this morning,” said Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer. “His athletic pubalgia just wasn’t getting any better.”

Roldan is expected to be out for somewhere between four and six weeks. That effectively rules him out for the USMNT’s pair of September friendlies. The USMNT is set to play Japan on September 23 in Düsseldorf, Germany, and Saudi Arabia in Murcia, Spain on September 27. Even if Roldan were to fully recover in just four weeks, the USMNT would likely have already flown to Europe for the friendlies.

How does this impact the USMNT midfield?

Roldan’s hold on a place within the squad has grown more tenuous with time, though some of that process has been out of his control. Yunus Musah’s emergence as a starter, having chosen the USMNT over England, Ghana, and Italy only last year, is one factor, while Brenden Aaronson’s rapid rise (and ability to play both in the midfield and as a wide forward, as Roldan does) is certainly another. Luca de la Torre has also raised his profile within the team, while Kellyn Acosta’s return to the USMNT fold has added to the crowd.

Still, while Roldan has seen his playing time decline, Berhalter still substituted him into five qualifiers, and in a variety of game states. It’s clear that Berhalter still sees a tactically and technically sound Swiss army knife like Roldan as a valuable player he can trust in a range of situations, and it stands to reason that he was in the frame to be called up for the Japan and Saudi Arabia friendlies.

Roldan is not the only USMNT player in doubt for the September window. Tim Weah is looking like a major doubt as well, with Lille saying on Monday that his ankle injury would require three weeks of immobilization before he can even resume training.

With Roldan unavailable, the door may be just the tiniest bit open for players like Gianlucia Busio and Djordje Mihailovic, both of whom were players Pro Soccer Wire‘s last roster projection had just barely missing out.

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Gregg Berhalter can only tell Cristian Roldan to be patient

The midfielder has earned plenty of praise from his national team boss, but no minutes yet this month

Gregg Berhalter is well aware of the qualities Cristian Roldan brings to the U.S. men’s national team. In fact, he listed them off one by one during a call with reporters on Thursday.

“Cristian Roldan is a guy that has been doing great for his club,” Berhalter said. “[He’s] playing as a winger for his club but for us he’s played midfielder, sometimes winger, but overall great team guy.

“He competes more than I think anyone on the team. One of the most competitive guys in the team. Fantastic attitude, student of the game, always learning, always improving.”

However, in spite of Berhalter’s praise and Roldan continuing to star for the Seattle Sounders, he has found his USMNT chances limited. Roldan made just five appearances in the USMNT’s 14 World Cup qualifiers, all of which came from the bench. And even though he’s been called in for the USMNT’s four games this month, he did not receive minutes in either of the first two matches.

Roldan’s stellar club displays even led Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer to call Berhalter out last month, urging the U.S. boss to give the midfielder more of a chance.

Berhalter is aware that Roldan’s patience is being tested, but wouldn’t guarantee the 27-year-old any minutes in the team’s upcoming two games.

“Unfortunately, he hasn’t gotten game time yet,” Berhalter said. “And that’s one of the things when we’re looking at these rosters and trying to deal with [having] six substitutes and get guys on the field. And it’s been difficult and I’ve had to have a number of conversations with Cristian and just tell him to try to be patient. I would like to get him on the field in these next two games and we’ll see if we can do that.”

Roldan plays as a winger with Seattle but with the USMNT, Berhalter sees him as a central midfielder. The coach indicated that may be an impediment for more minutes, as Roldan is behind several central midfield options on the depth chart and doesn’t have the kind of field-stretching characteristics he’s looking for in a winger.

“We’re building depth in these positions and it’s tough based on what we ask our wingers to do,” Berhalter said. “But if there’s any guy that’s going to try to do exactly what we asked, it’s going to be Cristian.”

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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