Alex Roldan called in by El Salvador for October World Cup qualifiers

It looks like the Seattle Sounders will have to dig a little deeper into their depth during the October World Cup qualifying window.

When the Sounders announced the players who were called up by their respective countries for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers, one glaring omission was defender Alex Roldan. That apparent snub was rectified when El Salvador announced that Roldan will be joining the team for their three matches between Oct. 7-13.

Roldan’s omission didn’t make a lot of sense, as the Sounders defender was a revelation when he made his debut for El Salvador, scoring in his first appearance for the team after joining them over the summer during the Gold Cup. Roldan started all three matches for El Salvador in the September qualifying window, playing every minute for head coach Hugo Pérez.

Roldan has arguably been El Salvador’s best player since joining the team, having a particularly strong game against Mexico in the Gold Cup, and more than holding his own during World Cup qualifying. It would be unlikely that Roldan doesn’t see significant time for El Salvador, as they prepare to take on Panama, Costa Rica and Mexico during the October window.

Roldan — like Raúl Ruidíaz, Nouhou and Cristian Roldan — will depart the Sounders after the match versus Colorado Sunday. Roldan will miss the match against the Vancouver Whitecaps on Oct. 9, and depending on travel and minutes played, could miss the match against the Houston Dynamo on Oct. 16.