The Washington Huskies men's soccer team put together a historic season last year.

The Huskies won their first national championship in program history, beating the North Carolina State Wolfpack 3-2 in overtime.

Washington's men's soccer team also delivered the university its first NCAA national title since joining the Big Ten ahead of the 2024 academic/athletic term.

The Huskies are currently preparing for the encore to their national title and wrapped up its preseason ahead with a match against Eastern Oregon on April 25. 

While the program is attempting to return to the national championship stage, one of the most notable players in the history of the program will be looking to make a positive impact in the biggest international competition of the sport.

Midfielder Cristian Roldan was named as one of 26 players on the U.S. men's national team roster for the 2026 World Cup, which begins June 11 and will continue through July 19.

Roldan has been a fixture on the USMNT, competing for the team in international competition since 2017 and won the CONCACAF Gold Cup with the U.S. in '17 and 2021. This will be Roldan's second time on the World Cup roster. He played for the USMNT in 2022.

The 30-year-old midfielder, who was born in Artesia, Calif., competed with Washington from 2013-14. Despite spending just two seasons with the Huskies, Roldan made an impact. He scored seven goals and assisted on five more and finished with 19 points in 22 matches (20 starts) in '13. He was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year after that season.

After the '14 season, in which Roldan appeared in 19 more matches, scored two more goals and assisted on two more scores, he opted to go pro.

Roldan signed a Generation Adidas contract Jan. 8, 2015. Since going pro, Roldan has remained in the Pacific Northwest as a member of Seattle Sounders FC.

In his over decade-long tenure with the Sounders, Roldan has won the MLS Cup twice (2016, 2019), the CONCACAF Champions League once (2022) and Leagues Cup once (2025). As an individual, Roldan has been named an MLS All-Star once ('21) was named as one of the CONCACAF Champion League's Best XI (11) in '22 and was named to the MLS Best XI in '25.

The '26 World Cup will be played at several locations, including Roldan's Sounders' home of Lumen Field in Seattle.

Roldan and the USMNT's World Cup tenure will begin in a match against Paraguay at 6:00 p.m. PT on June 19 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., just 31 minutes away from Roldan's birthplace in Artesia.

Following that match, Roldan will return to the Pacific Northwest for a match against Australia at noon PT on June 19 at Lumen Field.

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