PHILADELPHIA – Cristian Roldan seemed like a no-brainer.
A young, dynamic, creative midfielder with a strong NCAA resume at the University of Washington – and a Generation adidas contract to boot – Roldan was widely viewed as a top-10 project in this year's MLS SuperDraft, and was seen by many experts as a lock for the No. 2 overall pick held by New York City FC.
But NYCFC snared Khiry Shelton instead. And then Montreal, and San Jose, and eight other clubs passed on Roldan as draft observers looked on in shock. And that's when the Seattle Sounders, who've watched Roldan prosper in their own backyard over the past two years, made their move.
“Obviously we were a little bit surprised at that. But he plays in Seattle and we can see the body of his work,” said Sounders coach Sigi Schmid, whose club swung a trade with Real Salt Lake to take possession of the No. 16 pick and snatch Roldan.
“We're very happy, because he's a skilful player, he's a good passer of the ball, he's a very humble kid. But he has also that little bit of flair, he's a little bit unpredictable. So we were really happy we were able to work that out.”
And just like that, Roldan's afternoon flipped from frustrating uncertainty to pure elation.
“Knowing that I dropped, and went to a team that could possibly end up in the MLS Cup is a good feeling,” the Southern California native told reporters on his hectic draft day. “You just don't know what's going to happen during the draft, and I feel like it was honestly worth it, dropping as much as I did, because Seattle is probably one of the better cities in the country. And it's a soccer city.
“They've been my home and I've practiced with them, and it's a great feeling to know that I could compete for a championship with Seattle Sounders.”
Seattle feared that RSL coveted Roldan for themselves, given that Lagerwey's successor Craig Waibel previously worked on UW's coaching staff. But Lagerwey worked a deal with his former team that apparently ships substantial – though as-yet unnamed – assets to the Wasatch Front.
“[Roldan] was on our mind the whole time,” said Schmid. “We had actually put something in, and then as he kept dropping, we waited a little bit. But then with RSL, we really thought RSL was maybe going to take him, because Craig Waibel has history with him as well. But for them I think it came down to a situation that what we were offering was more important to them than the player at that moment.”
Did Roldan's Combine displays damage his stock? Or was the technical, undersized midfielder, who Schmid believes can fill multiple roles in the Sounders system, simply not physically imposing enough to wow MLS scouts?
It's all academic for Roldan now, who's more concerned with chasing trophies than comparing draft positions.
“The Combine, it has its ups and downs where you play three games in five days, you also do a leaping test, and your sprint,” said Roldan with a sheepish grin. “I mean, at the end of the day, it's what you can do with the ball, or without the ball, making runs.
“[Maybe] teams didn't know too much about me because I'm up in the Pacific Northwest,” he added. “Seattle, who has been there for me in the past, is there for me now. I couldn't be any more excited.”
