Pico Rivera Community Cheers on Local Soccer Star in World Cup

Soccer fans in Pico Rivera are watching the World Cup with an extra dose of pride since one of their own is on team USA.

At the Iguana’s Bar & Grill in Pico Rivera, soccer fans are not only cheering on team USA, but also their hometown hero, Cristian Roldán. He’s a soccer star who loves to give back to his hometown. 

“Representing our country. Very proud of him. Pico Rivera is very proud of him,” Kenny Debaca, a soccer fan, said.

Roldán, a midfielder with the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team, is the son of immigrant parents from Guatemala and El Salvador who raised their family in Pico Rivera. 

All three of the Roldán family's boys played soccer in Pico Rivera. 

A giant banner cheering on Cristian in the World Cup, signed by the fictional TV soccer coach Ted Lasso, hangs outside Cristian's alma mater, El Rancho High School. 

“He was a superstar in high school, Gatorade player of the year. Everyone in Pico has been cheering for him ever since he was a youngster, so we’re very excited to have them here, our very own, very very excited,”  Debaca said.

Roldán's older brother is a trainer with the LA Galaxy. 

And his younger brother plays on the same MLS team as Roldán , the Seattle Sounders. 

The brothers have not forgotten their roots. 

Earlier this year, the Roldáns helped fund a mini-pitch outdoor soccer field in Pico Rivera which bears the family name. 

“It’s really cool to see that somebody famous is actually from here, it’s always a good feeling,” Angelina Aranda, a soccer fan, said.

Representing Pico Rivera in Qatar, this is the Roldán family

Today the city of Pico Rivera tweeted a video message from the Roldán family who’s in Qatar for the World Cup, but his hometown fans are equally thrilled to cheer him on half a world away. 

“I know one of the players is actually from pico rivera so that’s pretty cool just here rooting for my team,” Aldo Ayala, a soccer fan, said.