Alex Roldan’s strong year with the Seattle Sounders has reportedly produced a call-up to El Salvador’s national team, with Fanaticos citing confirmation from head coach Hugo Perez.
Roldan is eligible to represent La Selecta due to his mother being from the Central American country. The 24-year-old California native has not featured for the United States, and it was reported last May that he turned down representing Guatemala on the international stage.
"What I can say on this is, look, the story's out there," Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer said during a Thursday media availability. "I would defer to Alex if there's any sort of official announcement from Alex. That's a big story for him. We've always been supportive of our internationals and certainly Alex has been deserved of recognition because his play this year has been good. I'll leave it at that. I spoke with Alex and when he's ready to make that announcement I'll let him do it."
Roldan is enjoying a breakout year with Seattle, playing as a right wingback as the early Supporters’ Shield leaders shift to a system that utilizes three center backs. He first turned pro in 2018, with MLSsoccer.com’s Charlie Boehm exploring Roldan’s emergence in a feature story last month. Roldan has 0g/5a through 54 regular-season games (23 starts).
El Salvador are entering a busy summer stretch that'll be defined by the Concacaf Gold Cup and the final round of Concacaf World Cup qualifiers. They’re part of Group A at the Gold Cup alongside Mexico, Curacao and a to-be-named opponent before a July 10 opener. As for WCQs, they’ve made the Octagonal stage and will open on Sept. 2 against the US men’s national team.
La Selecta count Houston Dynamo FC midfielder Darwin Ceren and Toronto FC center back Eriq Zavaleta as important squad members. Former LAFC forward Joshua Perez is another player of note, scoring twice in their recent Second Round qualifier series victory (6-0 aggregate) over Saint Kitts and Nevis.
If Roldan dons El Salvador’s blue and white, he could face his older brother, Cristian Roldan. They’re teammates with the Sounders, with Cristian earning 20 USMNT caps so far.
