Cristian Roldan wasn’t the first highly rated prospect to cannonball down a draft board, nor will he be the last. Another member could join the infamous fraternity Thursday at the MLS SuperDraft in Baltimore.
Last January, Roldan sat in the Philadelphia Convention Center surrounded by his agent, his brother and a smattering of potential draftees.
Roldan was a projected top-5 pick out of the University of Washington, a midfielder whose size was a question mark but whose passing instincts were not. Clad in a simple black-and-white suit picked out for the big day, Roldan sat up straight from the very first pick, with which expansion Orlando City selected forward Cyle Larin.