Pico Rivera's Cristian Roldan may be last made-in-high-school U.S. World Cup star
Key takeaways
- Yet despite starting at the same time and place and arriving together at the same destination, the two players followed completely different paths to get there.
- Wright joined the Galaxy’s academy at 14 and signed with Schalke of the top tier German Bundesliga days after his 18th birthday.
- “I might be the last one,” Roldan said. “I hope not.”
Print Pico Rivera’s Cristian Roldan might be the last U.S. men’s World Cup player to ever play four years of soccer at public high school.As MLS academies and elite clubs tighten their grip, high school soccer’s role in creating top players is shrinking, pricing out working-class families and leaving hidden talent unseen.Roldan’s journey from CIF title at El Rancho to MLS stardom to competing at the World Cup, highlights soccer’s American dream. p]:text-cms-story-body-color-text clearfix max-w-170 mt-7.5 mb-10 mx-auto" data-dateline data-subscriber-content> SEATTLE — Cristian Roldan and Haji Wright grew up less than three years and 30 miles apart, Roldan in Pico Rivera and Wright in Culver City. The odds that they would go on to become teammates on not one, but two, U.S. World Cup teams seem astronomical.
Yet despite starting at the same time and place and arriving together at the same destination, the two players followed completely different paths to get there.
Wright joined the Galaxy’s academy at 14 and signed with Schalke of the top tier German Bundesliga days after his 18th birthday. Roldan was still playing for El Rancho, when he was 17, making him the only member of the U.S. World Cup team to play four years at a public high school.