PHOENIX — Cristian Roldan has been through this before.

In 2015 – his first season with the Sounders, who were fresh off a U.S. Open Cup victory and winning the Supporters' Shield – Seattle finished fourth in its conference and sixth overall. It was some of the Sounders’ lowest finishes since they began play in 2009.

A season later they won MLS Cup 2016 after a coaching change midseason.

But, this isn’t a comeback story. Well, in a sense it is, but this is more about maneuvering change and how Roldan and the rest of the U.S. Men’s National Team are adapting to it as they gear up for the first match under new manager Gregg Berhalter and a new system.

“A new coaching change brings that energy and spark and similarly it does that here with the national team,” Roldan said. “But people have a whole new aspect to the national team, people look at it differently.”

The scale of the Sounders' comeback reached a large audience. However, now the world is watching what Berhalter and company will do over the next two weeks – first Sunday in Arizona against Panama and then next week in California vs. Costa Rica.

“In a way it’s very similar but also drastically different,” Roldan said.

During the 2016 season, the Sounders and coach Sigi Schmid parted ways. Brian Schmetzer, who served as Schmid’s assistant, took over and revived the team, leading it all the way to its first MLS Cup championship. The team and Schmetzer returned to the final in 2017 but lost.

The Sounders bought in and found success. Now, the USMNT is working on doing the same thing.

“It’s a brand new team, brand new team," Roldan emphasized, "and obviously with a new set of guys comes change. With the coaching change as well, it brings a whole different aspect and a whole different mindset to the players coming in.

"Everybody’s bought it and that’s really important because if one or two players on the field aren’t bought in, it doesn’t help the team. So in that way, the system I think suits me because I’m able to – I’m not the fastest or the strongest guy – but if I can play my part and be a smart player on the field, then I’ll help the guys next to me.”

Roldan, 23, is one of only a handful of players with more than five caps and has become a leader on a very young roster working to make an impact while learning a new system.

The way Roldan sees it, he’s just here to do his part.

“This system will help us long term,” Roldan said. “It’s a style of play that will bring the team together, and it’ll help us succeed with the 11 players on the field. It just simplifies the game, so if I can play the system and play it well and do my part, it’s going to help the team going forward.”

Kickoff between the U.S. and Panama is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. The match will be televised by ESPN2.