On Saturday, as the Seattle Sounders took on Mexican club Necaxa for their international friendly, the captain's armband calmly rested on Cristian Roldan's left bicep as he walked out of the tunnel to the applause of the 38,045 fans who thronged the Century Link Field. Such was the great responsibility bestowed unto him by coach Brian Schmetzer for that commemorable night.
And as the center referee Tim Ford blew the kick-off whistle, Roldan's leadership skills came into play. The marauding but defensive midfielder bossed the midfield, issued instructions to his teammates occasionally, and created some beautiful chances despite Necaxa's tough opposition. And according to the 21-year-old, his performance was not good enough; a true reflection of a young talent yearing for success.
Roldan leads Sounders out of the tunnel at Century Link Field in the 1-1 draw with Necaxa
In an exclusive interview with LiveSoccerTV, the former Washington Huskies man admitted that it was a huge honor wearing the captain's armband, and did not rule out the possibility of being a future skipper of the MLS Cup defending champions. He said:
''Honestly, it is huge honor. A lot of good players have been captains here and honestly, I want to grow and continue as a player. I am just very happy that the coach had confidence in me and hopefully, I can prove him right.''
The youngster was excited being named captain for the night, and had something to remember that special match. 
Roldan joined Sounders in 2015 and has so far made 58 appearances and scored four goals. He also featured for the United States u20 side twice in 2015. Speaking about the possibility of becoming a future captain of the side, he added:
''You never know what the future holds. It depends on a lot of different things. I just want to do whatever it takes to help the team and if I can lead by example, that's great. There are other ways you can lead - you don't necessarily have to be captain. I go to each and every game thinking 'I want to play a bigger part in this team.'''
On his performance as the side's skipper for the night, the 2013 Gatorade National Player of the Year said:
''I think it was okay. Honestly, I think we could have been more organized towards the end of the game. I think we could have pushed them (Nacaxa) back (into their own half) and not let them get into the game. I was cool today and I hope I did okay.''
Meanwhile, on Friday March 31, all roads in Washington lead to the Century Link Field as Brian Schmetzer's men welcome Atlanta United in the return of the MLS after the international break. Clint Dempsey, who scored a hat-trick for USMNT against Honduras last Friday, is expected to lead the green and navy-blues' attack against the newly-promoted side at 7:00 pm PST.
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