'A glimmer of hope' - Cristian Roldan is Mauricio Pochettino's 'perfect player', but late World Cup surge is about impressing more than USMNT manager

Roldan never truly accepted it, but as the days went by, he got closer and closer to acknowledging reality. That reality said that a 2023 Gold Cup loss to Panama on July 12 would surely be his last USMNT call-up. After a year had gone by, hope started to disappear. When Pochettino was brought in, it became much harder to find. The USMNT had seemingly moved past Roldan, despite the feeling he had deep inside that there was still something left to give.

"I had a glimmer of hope that I'd be there someday," Roldan says. "I had some part of me that was telling myself that I still had a chance, but obviously it was dwindling down every time I didn't get called in. It was 700 days or so in between call-ups. In that time, you reflect on a lot of those things, and you get to appreciate it once it's taken away from you.

"For me, I just wanted to have that moment again. I knew that if I did get called in, I wouldn't take it for granted."

The call came in the fall. After spending much of the 2025 season as one of MLS's standout players, Roldan was called in to the USMNT's September camp. A late replacement, he arrived at camp just two days before the USMNT's match against South Korea. He came on in the 62nd minute anyway. Just three days later, he started and played all 90 minutes against Japan, solidifying his place back among his longtime USMNT teammates.

"I always had a lot of motivation to get back onto the team," he says. "I didn't lose hope, though, and because of that, it was a dream come true to be able to get called in again after such a long time away."

Roldan, as it turns out, became a dream come true for Pochettino, who immediately understood the midfielder's impact, on and off the field.

In the moments following the USMNT's October win over Australia, Pochettino couldn't help himself. Roldan, a player he had never worked with until just a few weeks prior, had just put together a two-assist masterclass. Pochettino believed in Roldan before, but it was solidified that night. Ultimately, the message was clear: Pochettino really likes this guy.

“He is what we need,” Pochettino said postgame. “We need a player with confidence, with self-belief, with a little bit of arrogance, with a little bit of being naughty, being competitive. Maybe Cristian Roldan is an example of how you want to build your perfect player. He has a little bit of everything.

“I don't say that he’s going to be in the next roster or is going to be in the World Cup, but I think, at the moment, or so far, after last camp and now, it's a player that we wanted to give the opportunity, we gave the opportunity, and look what is going on.”

It was a special moment for Roldan, no doubt. This was a coach who has worked with Lionel Messi, Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, all world-class stars, yet Roldan was the one being described as perfect. If hope was dwindling before, it was fully reignited on that night with Roldan's own performance and Pochettino's praise afterwards.

"For me, it was always nice to hear that from the national team coach," Roldan says. "With his experience, the players he's coached, to hear that, obviously it means a whole lot. For me, it's just being an example, right? You can not have a call-up in a long time and still come in and make an impact. You can still potentially make the squad even if you aren't called in today. That's my mentality going into camp. I treat every situation and every game situation very competitively and I hope that he appreciates that. It seems like he does."

His teammates do, too. Every player around USMNT camp is quick to praise Roldan for what he offers off the field, which is why so many were so glad to see him back this fall.

Ask around about Roldan, and you largely get the same answer. For the USMNT's players, he's the first teammate you choose to go talk to if you need help with something. For newcomers, he's the perfect person to show you how the USMNT is supposed to work. For coaches, he's the model professional, the one who sets a tone in a way that allows everyone else to buy in and follow.

"He has so many relationships within the national team," Brenden Aaronson said of Roldan. "When you see him at camp, it's like seeing a big brother. It's a guy that you look up to, and he's done amazing things. It's just refreshing to see him at camp."

That aspect of Roldan has never gone overlooked. Gregg Berhalter, Pochettino's predecessor as USMNT boss, spoke about it often, particularly when explaining Roldan's role at the 2022 World Cup. Teammates, like Aaronson, have reflected on it, too. Roldan might not be the USMNT's de facto leader, but he is the guy that the team's leaders go to when they themselves need a little bit of help.

Roldan loves that role. He relishes it. He does not, however, want to be defined by it. That's what made the fall so important to him. During that window, he showed he can make a difference as a player, too.

After impressing against Japan in September, Roldan dazzled against Australia in October, assisting both of Haji Wright's goals in the 2-1 win. Then, in November, he was strong against a good Paraguay team, too, further solidifying his place in the team. Roldan isn't just a cheerleader or a mentor; he's a midfielder, one who believes he can contribute between the lines, too.

"That was part of my goal going into those camps: making an impact on the field," he says. "It was about making sure I gave myself the best chance to get called in again. I make a lot of impact off the field during training sessions in the moments people don't see, but it's really important to be able to do the stuff during the 90 minutes that you're called upon, too. For me, it was extra rewarding to be able to do that. Then, you're playing a part in wins and big games and, hopefully, we can make many more memories like that."

There's no mystery about the big games to come. The biggest ones are on the horizon, and now, after so long away, Roldan believes he has a chance at being a part of them.

The 2022 World Cup remains one of the most treasured moments of Roldan's life. The moments at the team hotel, the anticipation of gameday, the look on his family's faces as the USMNT took the field - all were life-defining memories. They're all something Roldan is so eager to live again this summer.

Just four months are remaining from the start of the World Cup. It's a short time, but a long one, too. Roldan knows that better than most. Just a few short months ago, he was counting past day 700 without a USMNT appearance. Now, he's wondering if he might get a few this year in games that matter the most.

"It seemed like I was going to make the 2022 roster, but I also got surgery right before, so I was still unsure if I was going to make that squad," he says. "Now, three months ago, I was looking like I definitely wasn't making this squad. Soccer can just change so fast, is basically what I'm saying. You have to be prepared for that on a human level, whether it goes your way or it doesn't."

If it does go his way, if Roldan does complete his late resurgence from written-off to two-time World Cup veteran, it's safe to assume who he'll hug first. His daughter will turn two this summer and, while she may not yet understand the magnitude of what her dad is doing, he hopes she can someday. That hope, after everything, is what's keeping him going.