Cristian Roldan’s first season in Seattle was anything but ordinary.
After landing with the Sounders as the club’s 16th overall pick in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft, Roldan found himself subbing into the very first match of the season against the New England Revolution before making his first start against FC Dallas just weeks later.
From there, he continued to rack up first team minutes as the rest of the midfield battled injuries, earning 11 starts and 22 league appearances—the third-most games played by a draftee in his first year in team history.
Roldan’s workhorse mentality made him an integral part of the Sounders system as the squad pushed to the playoffs.