For both club and country, Jordan Morris and Cristian Roldan are off to blistering starts in 2019.
While the Seattle Sounders remain the only unblemished team in MLS with three wins in three matches, the U.S. national team has recorded a victory in each of its three friendlies over the past two months.
Heading into Tuesday’s match against Chile, the Stars and Stripes look to continue their winning streak and head into this summer’s Gold Cup with plenty of momentum. The U.S. hosts the South American power at Houston’s BBVA Compass Stadium (4:55 p.m. PT | ESPN2, UniMás, UDN).
“We know that they’re going to be a really good team and come out and press us hard,” Morris told media this week. “We have to come together and keep progressing. The coaching staff has done such a good job getting everyone on the same page and getting us ready for these games.”
Morris, 24, has recorded three goals and an assist in three MLS matches in 2019, finally returning to full strength after missing the 2018 season with a torn ACL and playing through an injury-riddled 2017 campaign. The good form has also pushed him back into the national team picture, where he started and played 68 minutes in a 2-0 win over Ecuador last Thursday.
Roldan saw the field against Ecuador in a reserve role, marking his third cap of 2019 after starting in wins against Panama and Costa Rica, respectively.
“[Ecuador and Chile] are two different teams with two different styles,” Roldan said. “We focused on playing out of the back and trying to build out with the pressure that Chile will put on us.”
After three impressive victories out of the gate, Roldan knows Chile provides perhaps the toughest challenge yet. The reigning Copa America champion most recently fell to Mexico 3-1 in a friendly last week.
“Chile is going to be a really good team for us, a good team to measure ourselves against,” Roldan said. “Chile has quality players and they put guys forward. It’s going to be a tough challenge, but in the end it’s going to make us stronger."
