Sounders’ Cristian Roldan hopes to see first World Cup action for Team USA

Like many across the West Coast, Cristian Roldan will wake Thursday wondering if he’ll play.

A once simple FIFA Men’s World Cup wish became complicated last week. Roldan was training with the reserves after the U.S. men’s national team defeated Australia in a group-stage match at Seattle Stadium and felt a muscle strain.

Nothing major. Yet enough that he hasn’t trained and is listed as day-to-day.

Roldan hopes the precaution will allow the pain to subside and he’ll be available for the USMNT’s final Group D match against Türkiye. The Sounders captain made his second World Cup roster but hasn’t logged a minute in this year’s tournament or four years ago in Qatar.

“It was one of my last shots of the day and it was unfortunate to feel tight,” Roldan said Tuesday of the injury. “Hopefully I give myself a chance to play in the Türkiye game because it’s a big opportunity to get some meaningful minutes.”

The U.S. (2-0) already won its group and advanced to the Round of 32. On the surface, the Türkiye match is insignificant. But USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino could utilize the match in multiple ways to prepare the roster for the knockout rounds.

That includes playing some of the reserves.

It’s a scenario Roldan, 31, still can’t believe. When the USMNT drives to its training complex in Irvine, Calif., the Pico Rivera native passes fields he competed on as a youth. He also hears shouts of “Pico! Pico! Go Pico!”

Seattle Stadium is really Lumen Field, where Roldan blossomed as a central midfielder after starring for two seasons at the University of Washington (2013-2014). He’s won a MLS Cup (2019), CONCACAF Champions Cup (2022) and Leagues Cup (2025) in the stadium.

“I almost cried at the national anthem,” Roldan said of approximately 60,000 fans belting every word before the Australia match unlike any other time the hymn has been played at Lumen. “I’m not a very emotional guy and that was incredible to see. It was incredible to see Seattle show the entire world how special the city is. Seeing all the people at the different (watch parties) enjoying the game, supporting, it showed how much the city of Seattle cares about sports and athletes.”

Roldan knows there’s a bigger picture than his playing. The Stars and Stripes are motivated by their convincing group-stage wins against Paraguay and Australia to utter the audacious goal of winning the country’s first World Cup title.

The furthest the U.S. has advanced is to the semifinals in 1930. That was the inaugural World Cup and only 13 teams competed. This tournament has a record 48 teams and spans North America with Canada and Mexico joining the U.S. as co-hosts.

If Roldan does make the field Thursday — or at any point in the tournament — he wants to make certain the team’s overall goal is evident.

“We want to make sure that the memories that we’re creating in this third game only furthers the idea of belief that we can win this World Cup,” Roldan said.