Cristian Roldan will have a homefield advantage during the World Cup.
When the U.S. midfielder steps onto the pitch for the team’s opener in Los Angeles on June 12, he’ll be playing just over 20 miles from the patch of grass where he learned to play soccer.
In Pico Rivera, California – a working-class city in southeast LA situated a half-hour drive away from SoFi Stadium – stands his first home field. The pitch was the grass in the backyard of the house where he was raised, the goal was made of PVC pipes his father put together and his opponents were his two brothers – both of whom are also affiliated with professional soccer.
“The dream, the MLS dream, the national team … it all started right here,” his father Cesar Roldan Sr. said while touring the family’s backyard on NBC’s “My New Favorite Futbolista.”
The dream will continue nearby, with Roldan and the U.S. men’s national team set to play two of its three group-stage games in the Los Angeles area. He opted to play in his hometown and for his home country, despite also being eligible for the senior teams of his father’s native home of Guatemala and his mother’s native home of El Salvador.
The couple moved to California in the 1980s when their countries were embattled in civil wars. Roldan, like his two brothers, was born and raised in Pico Rivera. He went on to play collegiately at the University of Washington on full scholarship and is now set to enter his 12th season in MLS with the Seattle Sounders.
While he has roots in Guatemala and El Salvador, he blossomed in the United States. So, when it was time to select his World Cup team, he opted for the red, white and blue.
“It was a very hard decision, knowing you could represent El Salvador and Guatemala,” Cristian said. “But I wanted to give back to the United States for everything they gave our family.”
One of the country’s earliest gifts to the family was that backyard pitch where the three brothers developed their soccer skills.
“They would kick the ball around right here before the house was even built,” Cesar said. “It was very, very competitive. All three of them, always. If one lost, they would even start crying.”
Telemundo Deportes hosts Luis Omar Tapia and Gio Del Fa break down what Cristian Roldan brings to the U.S. Men’s National Team, from his technique and creativity to his vision, and why his presence is key to Mauricio Pochettino’s success at the 2026 World Cup.
That sibling rivalry helped them become the players they are today.
“Kicking the ball in the backyard or in the parks with friends, I grew up there putting in the work,” Roldan said. “I never imagined two brothers from Pico Rivera would make it to professional MLS. We never imagined that.”
But they dreamt of it.
When Cristian was around 6 years old, his family took him to a soccer match in El Salvador, where he got to serve as ball boy.
“He watched the whole crowd roaring,” Cesar said. “And he told us he was thinking that instead of being on this side of the line he wanted to be inside playing and hear the crowd … And with time it happened.”
He’s now on the other side of the line, but he didn’t get there through academies or private coaching sessions. It was with assistance from his community on everything from expenses, to rides to practice, to coaches dedicating their time. It created what the family described as a “neighborhood team.”
“Many thanks to the parents, because the parents helped us a lot.” Cristian’s mother Ana Roldan said. “If someday we couldn’t make it, they would help us. And to the coaches, from the time they were 4 and 5 years old. I would say thank you to all of them. Because they each put a little piece of themselves into my sons.”
Cristian was first discovered by El Rancho High School soccer coach Dominic Picone when he was in sixth or seventh grade and would show up for his older brother Cesar’s practice, despite being four years younger.
“He would kick the ball around during practice and we knew that the kid had some skills,” Picone said. “But more than anything, it was his mental approach and his mental toughness.”
A few years later in 2013, that combination helped Cristian earn the Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year award, the highest individual honor in American high school soccer, after recording 54 goals and 31 assists in his senior season.
“Video game type numbers,” Picone said. “But they were all legit against great competition.”
The trophy given to Cristian for the award remains on display in the Roldan’s household – as does the banner that accompanied it, hanging proudly in the hallway.
“This is the only place in the house this fits,” Cesar said. “Plus, I have it up to show off.”
U.S. soccer legend Clint Dempsey explains the pressure facing the USMNT ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Cristian moved on to the University of Washington, where in his first year the program, he guided the team to its first Pac-12 conference title in 13 years. He was later selected by the Sounders in the first round of the 2015 MLS Superdraft, leading the team to titles in 2016 and 2019.
He was named to the U.S. national team for the 2022 World Cup. During a qualifying match, the Roldan sibling rivalry continued. Cristian and his younger brother Alex, his teammate on the Sounders and international opponent as captain of El Salvador, competed on the sport’s grandest stage during a qualifier with their parents in the stands.
“That was so emotional for me because it was in my country and they were both there,” Ana said. “It was very, very beautiful.”
Cristian and the U.S. went on to advance to the Round of 16. He’ll now look to help the team get back there during his second World Cup appearance.
“That is a source of pride because this country has been very generous with us,” Cesar said. “And now a member of our family represents this country … it is indescribable. It is a way of giving back. Of showing that by doing things the right way, things can be achieved.”
Even though Cristian will be wearing the red, white and blue during the games, he says his presence at the World Cup represents his entire lineage.
“I say it’s more important to represent all three of those countries, especially in what I do,” he said. “I play soccer, and I know there are kids out there who are also from three countries or two countries and share the same culture as me. I have Latino blood. And for me, to motivate a young player through that … it’s a dream.”
But he’ll still never forget where he came from: Pico Rivera. It’s there that he helped construct the Roldan Family Park, a mini pitch in the heart of the community where he grew up.
“He’s one of us,” said Gustavo Camacho, mayor of Pico Rivera. “He’s a reflection of our community. He has never forgotten where he’s from and he continues to promote. The fact that he’ll be there with the team, representing his family, the United States, but also Pico Rivera, California.”
That’s why, even during the World Cup, Cristian will have a homefield advantage.
“Pico Rivera,” he said, “is always home.”
You can tune into “My New Favorite Futbolista” wherever you listen to podcasts, with episodes featuring Roldan and more World Cup stars.
