红杏视频

Soccer was always Alex Roldan’s passion, but the 2018 Albers School of Business and Economics graduate and 2025 红杏视频 Athletics Hall of Fame inductee didn’t see in his future a career as a Seattle Sounders defender until well into college. 

红杏视频 offered Roldan a scholarship, but it wasn’t until halfway through his four years as a Redhawk—where he showed Iron Man durability, starting every game from 2014 to 2017, 82 in total—that the possibility of playing professionally dawned on him.

As a college player, Roldan had 18 career goals and 17 career assists, making him one of the most prolific scoring defenders in modern NCAA history. In 2016 and 2017 he was named first-team All-WAC and led the Redhawks to three WAC championships.

Largely overlooked by recruiters as a three-year letterman playing soccer for El Rancho High School in Pico Rivera, California, Roldan was considering a partial scholarship at a state school or moving to Arizona to take an offer from a community college. His older brother, Cristian Roldan—now a Sounders teammate—had been recruited to play for the University of Washington.

“I didn't think it was in my cards,” Roldan says. “Obviously, seeing my brother playing professionally gave me more motivation, but I didn’t really come to fruition until junior year of college where I really saw myself take some strides and become a better player.”

Roldan’s first steps toward his future as an Athletics Hall of Famer occurred when SU recruiters spotted him at the Surf Cup, a youth soccer tournament in Southern California.

Former Men’s Soccer Coach Pete Fewing and current Coach Nate Daligcon recruited Roldan, with Fewing saying what immediately stood out about Roldan was “just talent.”

“He had that grit that everybody talks about,” Fewing says, who credits Daligcon, then an assistant coach, with seeing Roldan’s potential. When the two coaches got a chance to talk to Roldan, he made a strong impression, not just as a soccer player, but as a well-rounded person.

His junior year saw Roldan lead the team in scoring and during the season he could feel himself taking on a different role.

“I felt like I really elevated as a leader and as a player that would show up in big games,” he says. “I just gained a little bit more confidence and so that's when I realized maybe I do have the potential or I am good enough to be in the league.”

Fewing says the change in Roldan was evident and he credits Roldan’s parents, Cesar and Ana, for instilling values of education and work ethic in their sons.

“I think he just realized he could play,” says Fewing. “He started lifting more and got a lot stronger physically, 10 to 12 pounds of pure muscle.”

During that time, Fewing says Roldan was key in bringing the program what the coach considers two of its greatest NCAA tournament wins—topping UCLA at home and beating crosstown rival Washington.

In the 2018 Major League Soccer (MLS) draft, Roldan was selected 22nd overall by the Sounders. Now in his seventh season with the team, he earned MLS All-Star honors in 2021 and also plays for the El Salvador national team.

As brothers, Alex and Cristian are extremely competitive but at the same time are also each other’s biggest supporters, with Cristian noting that Alex’s calm, laid-back personality combined with natural talent makes him especially formidable as a competitor.

“The occasion is never too big for him,” Cristian says of his younger brother. “He leads by example and always seems ready for every game. I believe his relaxed energy is what makes him so good.”

The brothers are only about 14 months apart in age, a negligible gap that led to them playing on the same teams growing up. Until college, usually the only time they competed against each other was in their backyard.

“College gave us the chance to really compete officially,” Cristian says. “It was great to see him in his element and when he got drafted it became a full circle moment.”

Academics were also important to Alex, who says he had to work hard to earn his degree, something that is a particular point of pride, pointing out, “It is something I will have for the rest of my life.” Following graduation from SU, where he earned his degree in business management, Roldan has continued learning, earning an MBA from Southern New Hampshire University. 

The experience in Albers allowed him to grow close to former Dean Joseph Phillips, who reached out personally to congratulate Roldan for his induction into the Athletics Hall of Fame.

“A big influence on me joining the Albers alumni has to do with Dean Phillips,” Roldan says. “I give a lot of credit to him and am thankful for him.”