Perhaps no player emerged as more crucial to how the Seattle Sounders wanted to play this season than Alex Roldan. Not only is he one of the best fullbacks in Major League Soccer, he makes the team’s ball-dominant possession style function, and he’s increasingly taken on a leadership role within the team. In 2025 he even stepped up with one goal and nine assists across all competitions, with his lone goal coming from the penalty spot against Inter Miami in the Leagues Cup final. Despite all that, he’s still not exactly an obvious star, as his contributions tend to fly under the radar of most observers. As Jamie Carragher somewhat famously once said, “no one wants to grow up and be a Gary Neville.”
To be totally frank, the nature of Alex Roldan can make him hard to write about. I’ve probably started, completely thrown out, and started over again on this piece at least four times because I just didn’t feel like I was doing him justice.
But as the Sounders embark on another important offseason, it’s worth spending some time thinking about a player we know will be back thanks to an extension he signed at the end of 2023 which now looks like an impressive bit of business.
It’s no coincidence or mistake that Roldan has become one of the first names Brian Schmetzer writes on the team sheet as the Sounders have reached some of the highest heights an MLS team is capable of. If his older brother and teammate Cristian is Seattle’s midfield engine, Alex is maybe more like the properly maintained tires on Schmetzer’s car. He helps provide control, contributes to efficiency, and ultimately is just as integral to the overall function of the machine as any other part.
While Alex deserves praise for his accomplishments and key role within the team, it’s worth rewinding the tape a little bit to better appreciate how he got here. After being drafted by the Sounders with the second-to-last pick in the first round of the 2018 MLS SuperDraft, he struggled to truly establish himself in the squad. Having played as a more attacking player at Seattle University, his best position wasn’t entirely clear at the MLS level. During the 2018 and 2019 seasons he was used primarily on the wings, but had limited production and both years when the playoffs came he wasn’t involved. He went from making 19 appearances with seven starts for 732 MLS minutes in his rookie season to nine appearances and five starts for 442 minutes the following year, and when the celebrations finished after Seattle won MLS Cup in 2019, Alex had his contract option declined.
We’re all here in 2025, and I’m writing this piece, so we know that wasn’t the end of this particular story. Alex was given the option of coming back after 2019 to learn a new position and win a spot during preseason, and that’s exactly what he did. The 2020 campaign became the starting point of Alex Roldan’s right back conversion, and although there have been bumps in the road along the way, that conversion has paid dividends for both player and club.
Against Pumas UNAM in the Concacaf Champions League Final back in 2022, he started at right back in both legs as the Sounders became the first MLS team to win the tournament in its modern form. He was back in that spot as Seattle put on a masterclass at Lumen Field against Inter Miami to beat Leo Messi and his mates earlier this year in the Leagues Cup final.
With the Leagues Cup final very much in the balance, Alex Roldan stepped up to the penalty spot in a moment that seemed to encapsulate the prominent role he’s taken on. It was the 84th minute and the Sounders were leading Inter Miami 1-0, and with a chance to put the trophy firmly in their grasp Roldan took a moment to gather himself then thumped the ball into the back of the net while sending the goalkeeper the wrong way.
Seattle were playing without Albert Rusnák, and Jesus Ferreira and Pedro de la Vega had both already subbed out of the game, leaving the Sounders without an obvious penalty taker. Cristian Roldan, wearing the captain’s armband, stood on the spot and held the ball as Miami players argued and pleaded with the referee, but when it came time for the penalty to be taken, it proved that he’d simply been defending that ground for his brother. With the confidence of his older brother, his team and the Sounders behind him, Alex Roldan confidently strode up and hoisted Seattle into a 2-0 lead.
The penalty was just the latest moment in the limelight for a player who has made his career in the ensemble. One of his earlier start turns saw him nominated by his brother to step into goal in stoppage time against the San Jose Earthquakes after Stefan Frei came out with an injury. Roldan made a few plays to make sure Seattle’s 1-0 road lead stood up, almost certainly cementing his place as a cult figure in about 5 minutes back in 2021.
He was prepared to reprise that role in the decisive shootout against Minnesota United in Game 3 of the playoff series this year when Andrew Thomas injured his hand on the first spot kick, something that would have been quite the button on a season in which he’s excelled in his primary position while also showcasing his impressive skill as a centerback and central midfielder as well.
“I’m very happy and pleased with the way I’ve come in and helped the team in different positions,” Roldan explained after training one day back in September. “Sometimes it’s a tricky thing to come in and, you know, learn a position with one training session, but so far, I feel like I've stepped up to the task and tried to help my team get some wins in different positions.”
That willingness to do anything and everything asked of him is just part of what makes Alex such a good player, and serves to embody and inspire Seattle’s next-man-up mentality.
“I think that’s the next step for me, is becoming a better leader, being a bigger presence in the locker room, especially for the amount of young kids we have on the squad. Whether I like it or not, they are looking up to players like me and others. And so, yeah, that’s one other building block that I need to step up and improve on,” he said regarding the part he plays in leading the team.
His dedication to the team and work to hone his game, continuing to find new ways to contribute year after year, is just part of how he helps drive the team on.
While he may feel that there’s more he can do as a leader off the field, this season has shown that he’s operating near the peak of his powers on the field. According to FBRef, among fullbacks in comparable leagues Roldan ranks in the 90th percentile or better in all of the following per 90 minutes categories: passes attempted, completed, and pass completion percentage; total passing distance; short passes attempted, completed, and short pass completion percentage; medium passes attempted, completed, and medium pass completion percentage; long pass completion percentage; passes into the final third; passes into the penalty area; switches; shot creating actions; shot creating actions from live-ball passes; touches; touches in the defensive penalty area, defensive third, and attacking third; carries; passes received; and fouls committed. He ranks in the 80th percentile or better in just about any other thing required of him. It’s a lot to look at, but that just serves to illustrate how good he’s been this year.
He’s done all of that while being in the top-4 for the Sounders in appearances, starts and minutes this season. His skill and durability make him a serious asset, and his demonstrated ability to move to CB and continue to make the team better mean that at 29, Alex Roldan could be a key part of this team for years to come. The Sounders may have come up short in the race for MLS Cup this year, but he’s sure to play a part when the rubber meets the road as Seattle continues to pursue additions to the trophy cabinet.
