Cristian Roldan

Here's the thing that was pleasant, pleasing for the Sounders fans.

Christian Roldan came back to the starting lineup.

Jordan Morris came back to the starting lineup.

Second game for Jovalich up front.

Well, we played the New York Red Bulls of old, right? Without the name change, we're hoping that we don't play the LA Galaxy of old that we're playing in 2026.

But like you said, Coach, Jordan Morris coming back into the fold.

You have Christian Roldan coming back into the fold and really getting back up to their game, you know, pre-World Cup.

I think we could talk about Christian all you want.

Yeah.

Um, and now Christian Roldan is healthy again, Jordan Morris is healthy again.

I, I think Y- Yaikner is supposed to be back soon, and I, I think, um, Jackson Reagan in, uh, I think in the next w- week or two.

So I, I still think they'll have enough juice to get into the playoffs, but they needed to, they needed to get, um, a winger who could, uh, undress teams one v one.

And you referenced 2016, and that's the reason why is because the leadership on this team is pretty similar to Brian Schmetzer, Tommy Dutra, you know, a pretty mostly consistent coaching staff, which is crazy considering it was a decade ago.

Christian Roldan, Jordan Morris, obviously part of that group, Stephen Fry.

So you have your leaders who very much look at 10 years ago and say, yeah, we did it then.

This is easier for my money.

But that doesn't do a heck of a lot for you right now.

So, I mean, I think we'll see what happens with this homestand.

And as Dayon Jovovich gets more acclimated, as Christian Roldan and Jordan Morris get more acclimated and get back to fitness – I do think that there is some reason to believe in there that the trajectory can correct itself and this team can get on a run.

When you've seen, I mean, how many games has this been where we've been watching this? We're talking about 13, 14, 15 games at this point.

That is great news.

Christian Roldan, Jordan Morris, Hassani Dotson all made their returns against Chicago last week.

They are all off the injury report, and they are starting.

We'll get to that here in a moment with the Delta starting 11.

So I hope that you have a more complicated response.

The question is...

Is fixing the Sounders and getting a win really as simple as Christian Roldan back in the

starting lineup? No, this is the MLS.

And changing the point of attack is the key because that window is going to be open, but it's going to close pretty quick.

And I think that Christian talked about it very slightly today because it is something that I feel like the team is going to want to do.

So...

I do believe that speed's going to be something the Suns are going to want to improve on.

He demands a lot of marking, right? So when you have a guy that demands this sort of attention, it does create issues for a team like the Red Bulls that they're so based on active defending.

And so I do believe that the Sounders can get a result.

I just feel very... unsure of the defense, and the holding mids, right? I asked Christian today, do you feel like it's important to have a solidified partner next to you? Because it's been a rotating door of the whole, both pivots, right? I mean, because of injuries, because of a bunch of things.

I don't know if Christian today knows who his best partner is.

Then in the 48th minute, we saw something that Raul Ruiz Diaz has done a number of times.

I think about, I mean, so many occasions, but the one that has gone clear into my brain, that's, I wouldn't say a one-for-one to what he did in the 48th minute this last weekend, but remember a few years ago down in Portland, the Sounders had a 2-1 win, And that's the game where Christian Roldan, I think, had that goal that got deflected in the first half.

And then in the second half, it was a sunny day there at Providence Park.

If you were there, you might remember.

Ari, I love being able to treat these interviews like...

The meat of the Sounders talk we did on Lobby and Scorcher's kickoff.

So I would tell people, if you want a lot more of my and Ari's thoughts on the Sounders and Seba Gomez, Jordan Morris, Christian Roldan back, is the center back pairing until Jackson and Yamar coming back? Is that good enough to maintain through these injuries? All of those thoughts, if you want all of that information, I would just say go to the Lobbing Scorchers YouTube page and go watch Monday morning's kickoff show because Ari and I talked about all of that and more.

But we ran out of time, Ari, and there's a number of things that I still want to talk to you about that we didn't hit there on Monday's show.

And that was Sebastian Berhalter, who's recently moved to Middlesbrough from Vancouver, who has had dominant performances box to box, hasn't he, against us.

And then Christian Roldan.

So those are both guys that are good enough to get capped and typically play an eight role of one sort or another, right? Yeah.

Verhalter sometimes sits in a two with Kubas for Vancouver, just like the way Bassett has been sitting in a two with Casete sometimes.

So it's a little bit tricky.

So I'm doing kind of those two piles separately, but without the recoveries, So pure interceptions, tackles, clearances and blocks.

Christian Roldan this season has 4.9 per game.

Sebastian Berhalter had 4.