US Soccer

Seattle Sounders, United States midfielder Cristian Roldan prepares for first rivalry match against Mexico

Cristian Roldan U.S. January camp 2018-01-26

Fresh off earning his fourth cap for the United States, Seattle Sounders midfielder Cristian Roldan will have a chance to participate in CONCACAF’s biggest rivalry.


Roldan and the U.S. will take on Mexico in a friendly at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., on Tuesday evening (5:30 p.m. PT; ESPN, UniMás, Univision Deportes), and for many on a youthful U.S. team, it will be their first match against El Tri.


“It’s a huge rivalry,” said Roldan. “What comes with this rivalry is the amount of passion people have for the game…You’ll see a team that’s motivated and a team that’s willing to sacrifice everything to get a victory.”


Roldan entered as a substitute in the 83rd minute in the U.S.’ 2-0 loss to Brazil last Friday, with goals coming from Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino and PSG’s Neymar. Roldan has been a consistent call-up since he made his international debut last summer in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, and a good performance against Mexico will go a long way for him and the entire U.S. squad.


“It was obviously a disappointing result,” said Roldan. “We knew what kind of team we were facing in Brazil. Now we have to shift our focus to another really good side, a very young, youthful, energetic side that is hungry for a win as well coming off a loss [to Uruguay]. We have to get our tactics right and implement them into the game.”

2025 Season Memberships

2025 Season Memberships

Join Sounders FC for an unforgettable year. Unlock exclusive perks and be part of the action as we enter a new era. Includes 2025 FIFA Club World Cup Ticket access. 2025 Season Memberships are on sale now!

2025 FIFA Club World Cup

2025 FIFA Club World Cup

The biggest club soccer event in history is coming to Seattle. And we're playing in it.

Single Match Tickets Available Now

Single Match Tickets Available Now

Grab your tickets and celebrate our 50th Anniversary Season!