Central American immigrants’ World Cup dream comes true with Cristian Roldán of Team USA celebrates in front of Colombian fans in Bogota, Colombia, on June 24, 2014, during the World Cup soccer tournament.
In this photo from June 24, 2014, Colombian fans hold signs reading “Thank Roldan for his incredible passion for this country” and “Cristian Roldan thank you for being a role model.” In 2014, the country of Colombia awarded Roldan not only a world title but also a prestigious Olympic medal for his remarkable career. In fact, Roldan not only played Major League Soccer, earning two MLS titles with the Houston Dynamo, but also played in the FIFA World Cup for Mexico in 2006 and the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2008, where he was the tournament MVP.
“It was a little more than a dream,” says Roldan in an interview with The Washington Post. “It was more like a vision.”
A role model for many, Roldan’s soccer journey has been one of incredible and life changing opportunity, which continues to grow with Roldan’s incredible soccer success.
“You can’t really get a chance to go across the United States and not see the beauty, the culture, the history of our country and the way we lived it,” says Roldan, “and the soccer has always been an integral part of that.”
“My personal journey has been in sports the whole time — I never took a day off in terms of working out, eating healthy, and sleeping healthy; and then playing soccer,” says Roldan, who currently is training four days a week in Los Angeles, California, with fellow American soccer star Omar Gonzalez. “When I first got the call to come out here, I thought to myself, ‘This is probably the best decision I ever made in my life.’”
Roldan has come a long way since he was barely playing soccer on the streets of Reynosa, Mexico, with a ragtag group of kids.
“I first started playing with the kids, who were kids from my neighborhood,” says Roldan
