For the first time on Sunday afternoon, the Seattle Sounders Starting XI features a pair of brothers.
Rookie Alex Roldan, 21, joins his veteran brother, Cristian, in the midfield as the Rave Green take on Sporting Kansas City at Children's Mercy Park (1 p.m. PT; ESPN, Youtube TV, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360 AM). An interesting note, the first brothers in MLS history to start together were Chris and Sean Henderson with the Rapids in 1996. Chris is the Sounders' Vice President of Soccer & Sporting Director, while Sean is a coach in the club's academy.
Alex was the club's first-round selection in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft, which is where the club took the elder Roldan in 2015. After seeing the field together in Dallas on March 18 when Alex took the pitch in a reserve role, Sunday's match marks the first time they both start. Cristian will settle into his usual position as a defensive midfielder, while Alex will be anchored on the flank. Check out the full Starting XI here.
“It's always been a tough record playing here in K.C.,” Alex said after training on Saturday. “It's important to come out from the start, in the first 15 minutes, and get something out of the gate.”
