USMNT and Cristian Roldan: The forced veteran who has perfect skill set

Cristian Roldan is now the forced veteran of the USMNT, such is the overall youth of the squad. But he has the perfect skill set for international football and can lead US soccer forwards.

The revolution has begun. After the embarrassment of failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, one of the more humiliating moments in U.S. sports history, the US Men’s National Team decided to simply start again.

Gone are the old guard, in come the new, fresh faces to revitalise a stagnating, rotting, downright unsuccessful organisation.

That decision is plain to see in the fabric of the latest squad announcement. The USMNT face Mexico and Brazil in two upcoming friendlies during the international break over the next week. The roster is stocked full of young, promising, but inexperienced talent.

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Such youth thrusts supposedly young players into positions of responsibility, even if their experience belies such a role in the squad. One such player is Cristian Roldan, the Seattle Sounders midfielder having been named on the roster for the upcoming friendlies.

Roldan is 23 years old. That makes him one of the older players in the squad. He may only have three international caps, the first of which came just last summer in the CONCACAF Gold Cup group stage, but this is an extremely young squad in which Roldan will be seen as an elder statesman. He is a now a veteran, even if he has been forced into such a position.

But he also has the perfect skill set to flourish at the international level. He is not, like many young American players, built solely on pace, power, athleticism and quickness, not that he necessarily lacks those attributes. He is, instead, a player of nous, guile, creativity, great technical quality on the ball, all skills that tailor him nicely to the more nuanced and tactical international game.

Roldan’s passing distribution is perhaps his greatest asset. He has five assists this season, provides great service with accurate crosses and through passes, and is both controlling and creative in the final third. These are attributes that often go overlooked in the U.S. game. Not so internationally, however.

Roldan is also an extremely versatile player. Because of his rounded ability, he can — and has — play in a number of different positions, right across the midfield. This is invaluable at international level when tournaments roll around and depth is required through a limited squad.

Roldan may or may not feature against Brazil and Mexico. But with his performance for Seattle over the past 18 months, he has established himself as one of USMNT’s brightest talents, even if he may be seen as much as a veteran as a prospect.