Football
ESPN staff 7y

Cristian Roldan: First United States cap 'extremely emotional'

Midfielder Cristian Roldan said he was "very proud" to make his debut for the United States in Wednesday's 3-2 Gold Cup victory over Martinique.

Roldan, who was eligible to represent El Salvador and Guatemala, played the full 90 minutes and after the match expressed the emotions he felt on his special night. 

"Obviously it was extremely emotional. I'm very proud," he said after logging 90 minutes against Les Matinino. "It's something that I've dreamt about for a long time, and hopefully I made a good impression."

Roldan said his family were the first to know about his big chance against Martinique.

He thanked them, saying: "They've been there every step of the way and I can't thank them enough. I'm very thankful for the opportunity, and it's a process.

"I'm trying to learn from every experience I get. It's a huge honor and my family is very proud."

Roldan came in for praise from national team manager Bruce Arena, who said the Seattle Sounders man "did well" in the win.

"Bruce told me to play confident, be smart and play like I do in Seattle," Roldan said. "He thinks that I'm here for a reason, and I do believe that too. For me, it's making a good first impression and hopefully I did so."

Sounders teammate Jordan Morris, who scored two goals in a Man of the Match performance on Wednesday, was overjoyed for Roldan after the game.

"I'm super happy for him," Morris said. "I thought he did great. He's such a hard worker. He's all over the field, and I think for his first cap he did very well and he deserved it. It's the first of many, so I'm very happy for him."

Morris' strikes made the 22-year-old the second-youngest U.S. player to score two goals or more in a Gold Cup match, behind Landon Donovan who at 21 scored four times against Cuba in a 5-0 win back in 2003.  

"Four is very impressive," Morris said of Donovan's feat. "It's an honor to be in the same group as that guy. He's an unbelievable player."

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