Sounders’ Roldan brothers return to L.A. as all-stars
It was a homecoming for Cristian and Alex Roldan in Wednesday’s MLS All-Star Game against the Liga MX All-Stars.
The event was especially special for Cristian Roldan, 26, who was the captain for the MLS team.
“It was a huge honor,” Roldan said of being the captain. “A great story for our family, being from L.A. and this being the first AllStar Game (against Liga MX).
“Starting (in the game) with five other Sounders players is an overall great story.”
Roldan also had his brother Alex on the field, just like they’ve done with the Sounders.
Alex, 25, has had a strong 2021 season, that has caught the attention of the El Salvadoran national team. Alex played with El Salvador at the CONCACAF Gold Cup earlier this summer.
“I’m just happy, more so for Alex, because it’s been a tough three years for him,” Cristian said. “The way he has risen and through pressure, he has risen and has exceeded expectations.”
Both Roldan brothers played the first half. With the World Cup qualifying starting next week, the Roldan brothers will likely be called into their respective teams, with a U.S.-El Salvador clash set for Sept. 2.
The night was also the
Alex Roldan, right, looks for an open teammate during the MLS All-Stars’ win over the Liga MX All-Stars.
first game inside the Banc of California Stadium for former LAFC defender Walker Zimmerman. Zimmerman joined LAFC in 2018 and played two seasons before being traded to Nashville.
He talked earlier this week about being glad to see some familiar faces as the MLS team trained at LAFC’s practice ground.
“This was a place I called home for a few years,” he said. “It was great seeing the guys and then you have the guys who aren’t involved, but were obviously teammates of mine the past couple of years.”
The Galaxy duo of Sebastian Lletget and Julian Araujo played the second half.
LAFC’s Diego Rossi was in the starting eleven and Eduard Atuesta and Jesus Murillo came on as substitutes. Murillo scored the equalizer for MLS in the 53rd minute.
Homophobic chant halts game briefly
The game wasn’t all fun. In the 10th minute, referee Armando Villarreal stopped the game due to the fans’ use of the homophobic chant after a goal kick.
Stopping the game is the first step of CONCACAF’s three-step protocol in which the referee stops the game and the PA reads a warning to the fans.
A second stoppage would have resulted in the match being suspended and players sent back to the locker room, and a third stoppage would have resulted in the match being abandoned.
In the first minute of extra time, it sounded as if the fans did it again, but the referee didn’t halt the game.
Mexico has had its issues of late with the chant. Earlier Wednesday, FIFA reduced sanctions on the Mexican national team, forcing it to play just one World Cup qualifier behind closed doors.