- Osvaldo Alonso
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Osvaldo Alonso 
Personal information Full name Osvaldo Alonso Moreno Date of birth November 11, 1985 Place of birth San Cristóbal, Cuba Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) Playing position Midfielder Club information Current club Seattle Sounders FC Number 6 Senior career* Years Team Apps† (Gls)† 2005–2007 Pinar del Río 42 (14) 2008 Charleston Battery 23 (4) 2009– Seattle Sounders FC 83 (5) National team‡ 2006–2007 Cuba 16 (2) * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of November 7, 2011.
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of October 24, 2009Osvaldo Alonso Moreno (born November 11, 1985 in San Cristóbal) is a Cuban footballer who currently plays for Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer.
Contents
Career
Professional
Alonso began his career with Pinar del Río in his homeland, after which he defected to the United States in June 2007.[1] Alonso trained with Chivas USA, and was offered a $12,900 developmental contract with the team. Eventually, Alonso opted to sign with Charleston Battery on the theory he would get more playing time on a USL First Division team.[2] He impressed early after a strong outing the preseason Carolina Challenge Cup 2008.,[3] and ultimately enjoyed an impressive rookie season in which he started 31 games for the Battery and scored 7 goals.[4] He was named 2008 team MVP and Newcomer of the Year on fan votes, the team's Player's Player of the Year by a team vote, and the USL-1 Rookie of the Year by league coach and GM vote.[3]
In February 2011, Alonso signed a contract extension with Seattle through the 2014 season.[5]
International
Alonso served as captain of the Cuba U-23 national team during qualification for the men's football tournament at the 2008 Summer Olympics. He made his debut for the senior Cuban national team in a Caribbean Nations Cup 2006-07 match against the Turks & Caicos Islands in September 2006. During his time with the Cuban national team he earned 17 caps, scoring two goals.[4] His final appearance for the national team was at the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup in June 2007 against Panama.
Statistics
Season Club Country Competition Apps. Goals 2005/06 FC Pinar del Río 
CubaCampeonato Nacional de Fútbol de Cuba - - 2006/07 - - 2008 Charleston Battery 
United StatesUSL First Division 23 4 2009 Seattle Sounders FC Major League Soccer 27 1 2010 23 1 2011 33 3 Total Last Updated November 7, 2011 148 23 Defection to the United States
Alonso defected from Cuba while the team was in Houston, Texas to face the Honduran team. Another Cuban teammate, Lester Moré, defected to the United States during the team's same trip to the United States.[1] Alonso was with teammates at a Wal-Mart when he went off by himself while browsing through merchandise and then left the store.[2] Alonso walked several blocks from the store until he found a man who spoke Spanish and borrowed a cell phone to call a friend in Miami, Florida.
Honors
Pinar del Río
- Campeonato Nacional de Fútbol de Cuba (1): 2006
Seattle Sounders FC
- Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (3): 2009, 2010, 2011
See also
References
- ^ a b "Two Cuban Defectors Will Get Chivas Tryout". The Washington Post: p. E02. 30 June 2007. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/29/AR2007062902186.html. Retrieved 2008-12-22.
- ^ a b Miller, Andrew (12 July 2008). "Player who defected from Cuba realized dream, longs to see family again". The Post and Courier. http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/jul/12/sweet_freedom47294/. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
- ^ a b "Alonso Named USL-1 Rookie of the Year". Soccer365.com. 13 October 2008. http://soccer365.com/united_soccer_leagues/story_131008204813.php. Retrieved 2008-12-22.
- ^ a b "Charleston Battery: The Team: Roster". CharlestonBattery.com. http://www.charlestonbattery.com/team_roster.asp?pid=2316. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
- ^ http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=4155117
External links
- MLS player profile
- Osvaldo Alonso at National-Football-Teams.com
Cuba squad – 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup 1 Molina • 2 Miñoso • 3 Márquez • 4 Caballeros • 5 Clavelo • 6 Alonso • 7 Martínez • 8 Joel Colomé • 9 Cervantes • 10 Moré • 11 Villarrutia • 12 Quintero • 13 Ramos • 14 Jaime Colomé • 15 Morales • 16 Fernández • 17 Faife • 18 Alcántara • 19 Duarte • 21 Aldama • Coach: González
Seattle Sounders FC – current squad 2 Fucito · 3 Evans · 4 Ianni · 5 Wahl · 6 Alonso · 7 Riley · 8 Friberg · 10 Rosales · 11 Zakuani · 12 González · 13 White · 14 Tetteh · 15 Fernández · 16 Estrada · 17 Montero · 18 Keller · 19 Ochoa · 20 Scott · 21 Jaqua · 22 Seamon · 23 Carrasco · 24 Levesque · 25 Noonan · 26 Graham · 27 Neagle · 28 Boss · 29 Ford · 30 Sanyang · 31 Parke · 32 Montaño · 34 Hurtado · 35 Meredith ·
Head Coach: Schmid Assistant Coach: Schmetzer Assistant Coach: Hendrickson Goalkeeper Coach: Dutra General Manager: Hanauer
Categories:- 1985 births
- Living people
- People from Pinar del Río Province
- Cuban defectors
- Cuban footballers
- Cuba international footballers
- 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup players
- Cuban expatriate footballers
- Cuban expatriates in the United States
- Expatriate soccer players in the United States
- USL First Division players
- Charleston Battery players
- Major League Soccer players
- Seattle Sounders FC players
- Association football midfielders
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