Seattle midfielder Cristian Roldan's successful appeal of a red card received last weekend did more than keep him on the field Saturday against Minnesota United.
It also allowed him to play against former teammate Ozzie Alonso, United's defensive midfielder whom Roldan calls "really a mentor of mine."
The two played together for four seasons and now are opponents. A rising star at age 23, Roldan on Saturday used against his friend all he has learned from Alonso, who received hugs from former teammates before the game. Roldan scored Seattle's only goal Saturday on an equalizer late in the first half.
Roldan was a teenage attacking wing when he entered MLS from University of Washington. Similar in body type and height to Alonso, Roldan watched and learned as he turned himself into a central playmaker who played closer to Alonso in the midfield.
"It was out of left field when I had to play a little deeper," Roldan told reporters after a training session. "For me, it was really interesting to see how Ozzie played and the way he used his body. I watched him quite a bit. I saw his habits in training. So much of his game has been brought to mine."
Roldan has taken some of Alonso's grit and ability to advance the ball.
"People don't realize how good he is on the ball," Roldan said. "His ability to dribble out of pressure is tremendous. I still watch him and implement that into my game because if you can dribble out of pressure, although a bit risky, instead of passing out, it can pay off big time. We played well together because I was able to cover ground and Ozzie was able to stay put."
Quintero off the bench
United midfielders Ethan Finlay and Miguel Ibarra moved back into the starting lineup Saturday, with Darwin Quintero in a sub's role on his way back from an ankle injury suffered last week against D.C. United. Striker Abu Danladi was not in top 18.
