RENTON, WASH. – Six players from Sounders FC have been picked to join their national teams during the September FIFA period: Cristian Roldan (United States), Nouhou (Cameroon), Georgi Minoungou (Burkina Faso), Obed Vargas (Mexico U-20s), Reed Baker-Whiting (U. S. U-20s), and Snyder Brunell (U. S. U-19s). Additionally, Tacoma Defiance goalie Mohammed Shour will represent the U. S. U-20 Men’s Youth National Team.
Cristian Roldan, who is 30 years old, is getting his first chance to play for the U. S. Men’s National Team under Coach Mauricio Pochettino. He will join a training camp in New Jersey and take part in friendly matches against Korea Republic and Japan. Roldan has played 37 times for the USMNT and was part of the team at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Recently, he played all five games for the U. S. in the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup, where he helped by assisting one of the goals in a 6-0 victory against Saint Kitts and Nevis. The USMNT will play Korea Republic on September 6 in Harrison, New Jersey at 2:00 p.m. PT, and will take on Japan on September 9 in Columbus, Ohio at 4:30 p.m. PT. This season, Roldan has played 38 times for Seattle, scoring two goals and achieving a team-best 10 assists. Since Seattle picked him in the first round of the 2015 MLS SuperDraft, he is now second in club history in the MLS era with a total of 384 games played, sixth for goals with 44, and second for assists with 67.
Nouhou, who is 27, has played 39 times for Cameroon since 2017. He played every minute in all three of Cameroon’s matches during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, including their famous win against Brazil. Most recently, he played every minute in two FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying matches back in March. Cameroon will continue their qualifying matches against Eswatini on September 4 at 12:00 p.m. PT and against Cape Verde on September 9 at 9:00 a.m. PT. Currently, Cameroon is in second place in Group D with 12 points (3 wins, 0 draws, and 3 losses). This year, Nouhou has played 31 times for Seattle, starting in 29 of those games, and has scored one goal.
Georgi Minoungou, age 23, is receiving his first chance to play internationally, joining Burkina Faso for two World Cup 2026 qualifying matches against Djibouti on September 5 at 9:00 a.m. PT and Egypt on September 9 at 9:00 a.m. PT. Burkina Faso is currently in second place in the CAF Group A standings with 11 points (3 wins, 1 draw, and 2 losses). This season, Minoungou has played 24 times for Seattle, starting five games, and has one goal along with four assists.
Vargas, who is 20 years old, has been chosen to train with the Mexico U-20 team as they prepare for the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2025. He joined the team during the training session in March earlier this year. In October 2024, he made his first appearance for the Mexico senior team when he came on as a substitute in a game against the United States, which Mexico won 2-0. In September 2024, he was also called up to the Mexico U-23 team for a training camp and two friendly matches. This year, Vargas has played in all 35 of his games, starting each one, scoring three goals, and providing six assists.
Baker-Whiting, who is also 20, will be joining the U. S. U-20 men’s national team for a training camp in San Pedre del Pinatar, Spain. They have two friendly matches lined up against Morocco on September 5 and September 7 as they get ready for the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile. Baker-Whiting has already been part of the U-20 team in June during a training camp in Cairo, Egypt, and he has played for the U. S. national teams at the U-17 and U-19 levels. The player from Seattle has participated in 15 games for his club, the Rave Green, this year, starting eight of them. Notably, he played against Lionel Messi for 90 minutes in Seattle’s 3-0 victory over Inter Miami CF in the Leagues Cup 2025 Final on August 31.
Brunell, who is 18, is heading to Fayetteville, Georgia, to attend a Domestic Identity Camp with the U. S. U-19 men’s national team. He had previously played with the U-18 team during the UEFA Friendship Cup in Nyon, Switzerland, where they won the title after a shootout against Portugal. Brunell signed with Seattle in July and has scored two goals in four games, with one of those being a starting match.
Shour, who is 17, is also joining the U. S. U-20 men’s national team for a Domestic Identity Camp in West Palm Beach, Florida. Before the start of the 2025 season, Shour signed with Defiance and has played in six games, making 18 saves.
After winning the Leagues Cup 2025 with a score of 3-0 against Inter Miami on Sunday, Seattle will have almost two weeks off before they play again in MLS. They will face the LA Galaxy on Saturday, September 13, at the Emerald Queen Casino Pitch at Lumen Field, with the game starting at 5:30 p.m. PT.
