Former Sounders Star Midfield Pairing Could Get Increased World Cup Roles in Group Stage Finales
It's been an exceptionally exciting FIFA World Cup in North America so far.
From two of six games scheduled to be played in Seattle finishing with resounding success and the tournament's brightest stars like Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland off to impressive starts, the world's biggest sporting event is everything fans hoped it would be.
But the two players with strong ties to the Seattle Sounders, current midfielder Cristian Roldan and February transfer Obed Vargas, haven't seen the field much. Vargas got on for the final 25 minutes of Mexico's win over South Korea and impressed with multiple dynamic runs to burn clock and preserve a 1-0 win to clinch the group.
His strong minutes have pushed Mexican fans and media to suggest the 20-year-old Atletico Madrid man playing in his first World Cup should see a larger role going into a Wednesday group stage match with Czechia at 3 p.m. PT.
Meanwhile, Roldan, a career Sounders man at 31, is on track to go a second straight World Cup with the USMNT without a single second of playing time.
But after two convincing wins (4-1 over Paraguay and 2-0 over Australia in Seattle last Friday), the U.S.'s group stage finale against eliminated Turkiye on Thursday will serve little meaning. With key pieces like Christian Pulisic dealing with ailments, the chatter around the country has been whether head coach Mauricio Pochettino should rest his starters in Los Angeles on Thursday.
While Roldan was dealt a muscle injury during training that he's still dealing with, he seemed confident he'd be fit and ready to go for the Turkiye fixture when he spoke to the media on Tuesday.
Sounders Return to Training, Drop Shortened Practice Game vs. Belgium
The Seattle Sounders are back in action after 18 days away from training and games on account of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Life has changed considerably since the Sounders last dropped their last game on May 24 to LAFC to drop to 7-3-3 (6th in Western Conference), as they are sharing their Renton training facility with the Belgian Red Devils and are planning their training sessions around the national team's schedule. The Rave Green were compensated for their hospitality on Tuesday, as Belgium, fresh off a 1-1 draw against Egypt on Monday in Seattle, played a consortium of Sounders and Tacoma Defiance players in a shortened practice game.
The game featured two 30-minute halves, and the Sounders fell 2-1 in a match that former U.S. Men's National Team winger Paul Arriola described as a solid learning experience in this makeshift offseason program.
"It was a difficult game for us; we defended for a lot of the time," Arriola, 31, said. "We saw a few offensive plays that I think we did pretty well in, and then defensively it was a lot for us to handle. Typically we're a team in MLS that we kind of try and dictate the game and the tempo… yesterday we were put under a lot."
WATCH: Recapping Sounders Solid Start, And Late Troubles, Ahead of the World Cup
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Qasim Ali breaks down a 7-3-3 start to the Seattle Sounders’ 2026 campaign. The team started 6-1-1 before falling into a slump and entering the June FIFA World Cup break at sixth in the Western Conference.
The Sounders will be back in action on July 16 against their rival Portland Timbers, as Cristian Roldan (United States) is the only Seattle player rostered for the World Cup.
He's In: Cristian Roldan Makes USMNT Cut Ahead of World Cup
The saga is over.
Cristian Roldan was one of 26 players named to the United States Men's National Team for the June FIFA World Cup after months of speculation on whether the 30-year-old would make the cut. Roldan, who has notched 45 caps with the USMNT, enters the largest sporting event in the world alongside stars like Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie. He's the only Sounder projected to play in this year's World Cup.
Roldan made the cut in Qatar in 2022 as the U.S. finished in the Round of 16, but never got on the pitch. If his form is good enough to get minutes this time around, local fans will get a chance to see him when the U.S. takes on Australia in the group stage on June 19 at Lumen Field (AKA Seattle Stadium for the next month and a half).
The USMNT will take on Senegal on May 31 and Germany on June 6 in friendlies as it ramps up.
With the eye of former skipper Gregg Berhalter in the past, Roldan's versatile skillset in the defending midfield captured the attention of new USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino in recent months as he made practically every camp the team has put on.
Sounders Hopes Dashed by Late LAFC Winner Before World Cup Break
It was all going to plan for the Seattle Sounders through eight games.
Sitting at 6-1-1 with the best defense in the league, head coach Brian Schmetzer’s squad looked to insert itself into the top of the Supporters Shield Race with a road game against flailing Sporting Kansas City and a three-match homestand coming.
Instead of thriving on the schedule, Seattle went 1-1-2 heading into a key road date with a struggling LAFC squad (7-5-3), fresh off three losses, on the final Sunday before the June World Cup Break.
Seattle managed to play a scoreless game through 85 minutes, bringing on offensive subs late to try and steal three points. But it was the home team that notched the win, as midfielder Timothy Tillman came out of nowhere late to slam a cross-goal service past Andrew Thomas for the win.
Seattle dropped to 7-3-3 and into sixth place out west with nearly two months to go before its return to play against Portland on July 16.
How Do Sounders Stack Up in MLS All-Star Voting?
The MLS All-Star Game may not be the most popular among fans for its unusual place in international football culture, but it's an easy way for teams to get publicity for their highest-performing players.
Last season, now Atletico Madrid midfielder Obed Vargas was the only Seattle Sounder to make the squad. With the Sounders off to a much better start at 7-2-3 (4th in Western Conference) this time around, Seattle is generating buzz with one day of fan voting left before the July 29 All-Star Game in Charlotte.
This season, the Sounders are tied for the fewest goals allowed in league play (10), but are tied for the fifth-fewest scored (17). As such, solid offensive seasons for Paul Rothrock (5 G+A), Albert Rusnak (6 G+A) and Jesus Ferreira (5 G+A) simply don't stack up with the rest of a league that is oversaturated with ridiculous scoring lines this season. Instead, look for the pieces that are powering the elite defense performance to get some love in Charlotte.
Keeper Andrew Thomas, USMNT midfield prospect Cristian Roldan, center back Jackson Ragen, right back Alex Roldan and left back Nouhou were all top-five in fan voting at their respective positions as of May 18, according to MLS. The voting process will take fan, media and player votes into account for 11 of the players, while Charlotte coach Dean Smith will select 13 and MLS Commissioner Don Garber will pick the remaining two All-Stars.
Sounders’ Home Unbeaten Streak Ends at 22, Pec Runs Riot for Galaxy
The Seattle Sounders had been through the wringer in a three-game week, but were facing an LA Galaxy team coming off a tough loss to Kansas City to close the stretch Saturday. Seattle, on the other hand, was riding high with a win over the top-ranked San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday, and set their lineup to rotate against the 11th-place Galaxy.
Unfortunately for Seattle, LA found its footing in this one, as star winger Gabriel Pec had a goal and an assist in transition late to bury the Sounders in a 2-0 shocker. The loss meant the end of a 22-game home unbeaten run dating back to last summer against European champion Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup.
Seattle, as it has for the past few matches, spent plenty of time in LA's box with 30 touches in the 18, but couldn't cash in on 1.4 expected goals on mostly half-chances. The Sounders also took 15 shots and got five on frame with 58% possession, but the Galaxy's counterattacks late buried Seattle as LA generated 1.7 xG on nine shots.
Sounders Down Western Conference Front-Runner San Jose in Heritage Cup Classic
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Qasim Ali breaks down a 3-2 barn-burner between the Seattle Sounders (7-1-3, 3rd in Western Conference) and San Jose Earthquakes (9-2-2, 2nd in Western Conference).
Osaze De Rosario netted an 89th-minute game-winner as the game swung back and forth after an early Sounders mistake led to a second-minute San Jose goal. Albert Rusnák scored off a penalty kick late in the first half to equalize before Jesús Ferreira went coast-to-coast in a spectacular individual effort to give Seattle the lead.
The goals come at good times for Ferreira and De Rosario, who have both been lacking on the scoring edge as Seattle finally met its expected-goal mark after two frustrating draws against Kansas City and San Diego.
The win also meant history for the Sounders, who swept San Diego in the regular season for the first time.
Sounders Equalize Late, Survive San Diego with Draw Despite Missed Chances
It's becoming a theme, and the Sounders don't seem thrilled with it.
For the second straight game, the Seattle Sounders have taken a 1-1 draw in a game where they generated far more than one goal's worth of opportunities. Last time came at a struggling Sporting Kansas City squad, and this time was against a floundering San Diego FC squad (3-5-4, 11th in Western Conference), trying to pick up the pieces after a slow start.
In all, Seattle (6-1-3, fourth in Western Conference) took 25 shots, just four on frame, and generated 3.6 expected goals.
To create all of that, the Sounders forced eight corner kicks, crossed the ball into scoring chances 11 times, had seven of their shots blocked, and touched the ball 52 times in San Diego's box after doing the same over 40 times against KC.
But after all those chances that ended in poor decisions or a lack of quality in bringing them to fruition, the Sounders finally broke through in the 80th. They had trailed nearly all night thanks to an 18th-minute goal from San Diego's Marcus Ingvartsen as Nouhou failed to mark the Danish national in a run-of-play goal.
After multiple chances ended in a Seattle corner, though, Albert Rusnak found Cristian Roldan at the near post, who flicked the ball back to Danny Musovski through a sea of bodies in the box. Musovski did what he does best, tapping it in with precision just moments after hitting the crossbar on one of many frustrating opportunities on the night.
Sounders, Reign Look to Make Statements Ahead of World Cup Break
The Seattle Sounders (6-1-2, 4th in MLS Western Conference) and Seattle Reign (3-2-2, 7th in NWSL) have gotten off to strong starts, but are both coming off draws in which they could have come away with more on the offensive end.
The Reign’s Mia Fishel also spoke with The Spectrum on Wednesday about reigniting the team’s offense, which is coming off three straight scoreless showings as the striker recovers from an injury-riddled stretch.
Sounders Draw with Struggling Kansas City Despite Wealth of Chances
The Seattle Sounders went into their Saturday matchup with Sporting Kansas City in great form.
Seattle was 6-1-1, in the thick of the Supporters Shield race, going to play the bottom-ranked team in the Western Conference, fresh off six straight losses at 1-7-1.
After Paul Rothrock scored his team-leading sixth goal in all competitions just two minutes in, it looked like the Sounders were about to repeat the 5-0 drubbing the Chicago Fire had subjected Kansas City to the week before.
But 16 minutes later, USMNT hopeful and Sounders legend Cristian Roldan made a lackadaisical pass deep in Seattle territory to let KC striker Dejan Joveljic strike a first-time shot past Andrew Thomas for what was the final goal of the game.
Yes. Seattle had scored just two minutes into the game on a fortuitous bounce forced by Jesús Ferreira to find a waiting Paul Rothrock in close, only to be held scoreless for the remainder despite 26 shots and three expected goals generated.
Ferreira and Morris Regain Scoring Prowess, Sounders Outlast FC Dallas
The Seattle Sounders, down the likes of Cristian Roldan, Albert Rusnák and Paul Arriola, continued their strong start on Saturday night. They downed a visiting FC Dallas squad 2-1, weathering dangerous set-piece opportunities and benefitting from a return to form from goal scorers Jordan Morris and Jesús Ferreira.
The result moves Seattle to 6-1-1 (fourth in Western Conference) with just four goals allowed in eight MLS fixtures. It also meant Seattle's 20th straight game unbeaten at home, as the Sounders haven't lost under the arches of Lumen Field since June of 2025… when they played European champion Paris Saint-Germain.
Quick Hits: Sounders Offense Hits Season-High Four Goals vs. St. Louis
The Seattle Sounders continued their offensive brilliance at home, scoring a season-high four goals against St. Louis City on Saturday night in a 4-1 win. The result, which came in Seattle's second MLS home game of the season (this time on grass made for the World Cup), pushed the Sounders to 5-1-1 on the young season — good for fourth place out west.
Cristian Roldan followed a two-assist Concacaf Champions Cup second leg win vs. Tigres on Wednesday with a brace on Saturday night. Albert Rusnák assisted on both of Roldan's set-piece goals while scoring his own on a second-half penalty drawn by Paul Rothrock. Striker Osaze De Rosario came on late to score the fourth — his first of the season as the young forward vies for minutes in a competitive lineup.
Sounders' Furious Concacaf Comeback Comes Up Short
The Seattle Sounders had a mind for a comeback heading back to Lumen Field for the first time since February 22.
Seattle lost 2-0 to Mexican side Tigres UANL in Monterrey last Wednesday in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals. With the tournament adhering to an away-goal tiebreaker, Seattle needed to avoid a Tigres goal to ensure its best chance to make up the multi-goal disadvantage.
The Sounders started strong, benefitting from a renewed Albert Rusnák, who scored in the 11th and 82nd minutes to break a cold streak in the scoring department with Cristian Roldan assisting on both.
Ultimately, a rally wasn’t meant to be as the Sounders won the match 3-1, but lost the 3-3 series on the tiebreaker, courtesy of a late first-half goal from Tigres.
Sounders Return Home For Second Leg with Tigres Trying to Repeat Comeback History
The Seattle Sounders aren't an easy club to faze.
The squad has won the MLS Cup, Supporters' Shield, U.S. Open Cup, Concacaf Champions Cup and Leagues Cup in its storied history since joining MLS in 2009. With that amount of credibility in its trophy cabinet, Seattle is respected across the continent as a perennial contender.
So when the Sounders went to Monterrey last Wednesday to face Liga MX side Tigres UANL at el Volcan (the Volcano), as their stadium is known, Seattle was always going to compete for a result.
But the Sounders, thanks in part to poor offensive quality and elite play by Tigres in tight spaces, dropped the first-leg matchup 2-0 to fall in a deep hole in this Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal fixture.
They'll attempt to repeat an iconic 2013 comeback when they do battle with Tigres again on Wednesday night in Seattle.
Sounders Stumble in Monterrey, Drop First Leg of Concacaf Quarterfinal vs. Tigres
The Seattle Sounders were looking for the sound of silence at Estadio Universitario in Monterrey, Mexico on Wednesday night. But in the 79th minute of their Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals first-leg duel with Liga MX side Tigres UANL, all they got was a deafening scene. Fans jumped in unison as their team had just scored a second goal to make it 2-0 and fought for a third, as the Sounders went on to suffer their first loss in any competition since February.
The Sounders will return to Lumen Field for the first time since Feb. 22 on April 15 to see out the second leg of the fixture, down 2-0 with a full week to lick its wounds.
Sounders Steal One in H-Town, Rothrock Stars Again
The Seattle Sounders are rolling.
Even as a lightning delay derailed the beginning of the game and the Houston Dynamo gave Seattle's offense fits all night, the Sounders refused to stop rolling.
Paul Rothrock scored his fifth goal in all competitions to break a scoreless deadlock in the 83rd, turning a solid draw into a stolen 1-0 road win on Saturday night, as Seattle carries its road warrior persona through early April with a six-game unbeaten streak in all competitions.
"It's not easy to win on the road, it's not easy to even get points on the road, a draw. But we came out with a gritty performance because the guys just grinded it out," Seattle head coach Brian Schmetzer said.
Indeed, the Sounders earned the points despite the first leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals matchup with Mexican giant Tigres looming on Wednesday. As such, Schmetzer rotated and leaned on a roster that has well over 11 starters, by his account, to get it done on a soggy night in Houston.
Sounders Sign Peter Kingston to First-Team Deal
The Seattle Sounders signed Tacoma Defiance midfielder Peter Kingston to a contract through the end of the season, with options for the 2027 and 2027-28 seasons, on Friday morning.
The move comes after weeks of lobbying from head coach Brian Schmetzer, injuries and transfers of key depth pieces.
Kingston, who played for the Sounders academy growing up, has had a unique journey to the first team.
Meet Peter Kingston, Sounders Midfielder and Son of the Seattle Soccer System
Some of the most impactful Seattle Sounders are from the Emerald City and its surrounding area.
The team's leading scorer this season, Paul Rothrock, hails from Seattle, while the club's all-time leading scorer, Jordan Morris, is from across the I-90 bridge on Mercer Island. With head coach Brian Schmetzer of Lake City and a former Sounder himself prioritizing local talent, the Sounders have become a beacon for all nearby talent to work toward.
"Any kid who probably grew up in the Seattle area that wanted to be a Sounder, like you don't want to just be a part of the team, you want to be a guy who's well-known amongst your peers," Peter Kingston, who splits time with the Defiance and Sounders, told The Spectrum after training on Friday morning.
Kingston, who comes from just across 520 and up the 405 in Kirkland, has worked through every local avenue possible to tab his first MLS minutes with Seattle in 2025. The 24-year-old has played for the two prominent collegiate programs in the state, Seattle University and the University of Washington.
In the midst of the rush of college athletics, Kingston had a unique experience. He had a daughter during his three seasons with Seattle U and son while at UW with his girlfriend, Shay.
Balancing pursuing his dream and being a local father led Kingston to USL League Two side Ballard FC, Tacoma Defiance and eventually back to the Sounders as the young player pushes for a roster spot.
WATCH: Recapping a Strong Sounders Start to 2026 Season
Emerald City Spectrum beat writer Qasim Ali recaps a 3-1-1 start to the 2026 season for the Seattle Sounders, who have already advanced to the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal through late March.
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