1. Osvaldo Alonso Moreno was born on November 11,1985 and is a Cuban former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.
42 Facts About Osvaldo Alonso
1. 2.
Osvaldo Alonso defected from Cuba in 2007 and became a US citizen in 2012.
3.
Osvaldo Alonso began his career with Pinar del Rio in his homeland, after which he defected to the United States in June 2007.
4.
Osvaldo Alonso trained with Chivas USA and was offered a $12,900 developmental contract with the team.
5.
Osvaldo Alonso impressed early after a strong outing in the preseason Carolina Challenge Cup 2008 and enjoyed an impressive debut season in which he started 31 games for the Battery and scored 7 goals.
6.
Osvaldo Alonso was named 2008 team MVP and Newcomer of the Year by fan votes, the team's Players' Player of the Year by a team vote, and the USL-1 Rookie of the Year by league coach and GM vote.
7.
In 2008, Osvaldo Alonso was signed by Seattle Sounders FC, for whom he quickly became a regular starter at defensive midfield.
8.
Osvaldo Alonso played the full 90 minutes in 26 games and all 210 minutes in both playoff games against Houston.
9.
Osvaldo Alonso finished with one goal and three assists for the season.
10.
Osvaldo Alonso appeared in two US Open Cup games, including 90 minutes in the final.
11.
In 2010, Osvaldo Alonso returned from injury to help Seattle post the league's best record in the second half of the season.
12.
Osvaldo Alonso started 23 of 25 appearances in the regular season and playoffs, matching his 2009 totals with one goal and three assists.
13.
Osvaldo Alonso appeared in two US Open Cup and five CONCACAF Champions League matches.
14.
In February 2011, Osvaldo Alonso signed a contract extension with Seattle through the 2014 season.
15.
Osvaldo Alonso played the full 90 minutes in each of his 32 MLS starts.
16.
Osvaldo Alonso scored a career-high three goals and matched his high with three assists.
17.
Osvaldo Alonso finished second on the team with 54 shots.
18.
Osvaldo Alonso was selected as an MLS All-Star for the first time.
19.
Osvaldo Alonso was named US Open Cup Player of the Round for his performance in the final.
20.
In 2012, Osvaldo Alonso was named to the MLS Best XI for the first time in after a stellar season in midfield, leading the team with 30 starts.
21.
Osvaldo Alonso compiled a team-high 2,688 minutes in regular season play, the second-highest total by a field player in franchise history behind his 2011 total.
22.
Osvaldo Alonso was named an MLS All-Star for the second straight season and voted team MVP for the third straight year.
23.
Osvaldo Alonso was named the 2012 US Open Cup Player of the Tournament after scoring four goals and two assists in four games, including the winner against Atlanta on May 30 and a 30-yard volley against Cal FC on June 5.
24.
In 2013, Osvaldo Alonso was named an inactive MLS All-Star, earning his third All-Star selection in his five-year MLS career.
25.
Osvaldo Alonso picked up an injury during the playoffs for the third season in a row during the second leg of the Western Conference Finals against the Colorado Rapids when a collision led to a sprained knee.
26.
Osvaldo Alonso played through the injury, playing all 120 minutes of the 2016 MLS Cup Final in a penalty shootout win over Toronto FC.
27.
Osvaldo Alonso required four pain killing injections before the Final and another four injections at half time to make it through the game.
28.
Osvaldo Alonso passed 20,000 minutes played for Seattle on April 14,2017, becoming the first to do so at the MLS level in team history and the 10th in league history to do so while playing for one team.
29.
On December 23,2021, Osvaldo Alonso signed a one-year deal with Atlanta United FC ahead of their 2022 season.
30.
Osvaldo Alonso returned to play as a substitute for reserve side Atlanta United 2 in MLS Next Pro on June 4,2023.
31.
Osvaldo Alonso returned to the senior squad later that month.
32.
Osvaldo Alonso finished the 2023 season with seven appearances, all as a substitute.
33.
On January 8,2024, Osvaldo Alonso announced his retirement from professional soccer.
34.
Osvaldo Alonso signed a one-day contract to retire with the Sounders on February 29,2024.
35.
Osvaldo Alonso served as captain of the Cuba U-23 national team during qualification for the men's football tournament at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
36.
In June 2007, Osvaldo Alonso defected from Cuba while the team was in Houston, Texas, to face Honduras at the Gold Cup.
37.
Osvaldo Alonso was with teammates at a Wal-Mart when he went off by himself while browsing through merchandise and then left the store.
38.
Osvaldo 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.
39.
On June 19,2012, Osvaldo Alonso became a citizen of the United States of America, and he stated that he would like to play for the United States national team despite playing for Cuba in the past.
40.
Osvaldo Alonso has not been called up to the Cuba national team since he defected to the United States.
41.
Osvaldo Alonso is married to Liang Perez and has three children.
42.
In January 2025, Osvaldo Alonso joined the ownership group for USL Spokane, comprising Spokane Velocity FC and Spokane Zephyr FC.