*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of November 17, 2023 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of October 24, 2009
Osvaldo Alonso Moreno (born November 11, 1985) is a Cuban former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He defected from Cuba in 2007 and became a U.S. citizen in 2012. During his decade-long career with Seattle Sounders FC, Alonso played as a defensive midfielder who was known for his style of harassing, tackling and covering the field, while getting forward to supply enough offense to be considered a threat.[2] This style of play had earned the nickname "Honey Badger" from Seattle fans for his fearless, aggressive playing style.[3]
Career
Professional
Alonso began his career with
Carolina Challenge Cup 2008[6] and enjoyed an impressive debut season in which he started 31 games for the Battery and scored 7 goals.[7] He 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.[6]
Seattle Sounders FC
In 2008, Alonso was signed by
U.S. Open Cup
games, including 90 minutes in the final.
In 2010, Alonso returned from injury to help Seattle post the league's best record in the second half of the season.
In February 2011, Alonso signed a contract extension with Seattle through the 2014 season.
Chicago.) He made 43 appearances and 40 starts across all competitions.[citation needed
]
In 2012, Alonso was named to the
Atlanta on May 30 and a 30-yard volley against Cal FC
on June 5. For the season he totaled five goals and five assists while leading the team with 42 starts and 3,749 minutes across all competitions.
In 2013, Alonso was named an inactive MLS All-Star, earning his third All-Star selection in his five-year MLS career.[11]
After missing games in both the
2016 MLS Cup winning Sounders.[13] He 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.[14] Alonso played through the injury, playing all 120 minutes of the 2016 MLS Cup Final in a penalty shootout win over Toronto FC. He required four pain killing injections before the Final and another four injections at half time to make it through the game.[citation needed] Head coach Brian Schmetzer praised Alonso for his determination and service to the club after the victory.[15]
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.[16]
Minnesota United FC
Following his release by Seattle, Alonso joined Minnesota United FC on January 10, 2019, having been the last Sounders player to have played for the club from its first season in MLS. At the same time, Minnesota traded for the top spot in the waiver order as well as two fourth-round picks in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft, while sending a second-round pick in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft and the fourth spot in the waiver order to Orlando City SC.[17]
Alonso scored his first goal for Minnesota on April 13, 2019, during a 3–3 draw against New York City FC. It was also the first goal to be scored at their new home stadium, Allianz Field.[18]
In March 2021, Alonso re-signed with Minnesota.[19]
Atlanta United FC
On December 23, 2021, Alonso signed a one-year deal with Atlanta United FC ahead of their 2022 season.[20] In his fourth match with Atlanta, he tore his right anterior cruciate ligament, ending his season in April 2022.[21] Alonso returned to play as a substitute for reserve side Atlanta United 2 in MLS Next Pro on June 4, 2023. He returned to the senior squad later that month.[22] Alonso finished the 2023 season with seven appearances, all as a substitute.[23]
Retirement
On January 8, 2024, Alonso announced his retirement from professional soccer. During his career, he made 349 regular season appearances for MLS teams.[24] He signed a one-day contract to retire with the Sounders on February 29, 2024.[25][26]
International career
Alonso served as captain of the Cuba U-23 national team during qualification for the
Caribbean Nations Cup 2006-07 match against the Turks & Caicos Islands in September 2006. During his time with the Cuba national team, he earned 17 caps, scoring two goals.[7] His final appearance for the national team was at the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup in June 2007 against Panama
.
Defection to the United States
See also:
Wal-Mart when he went off by himself while browsing through merchandise and then left the store.[5][27] He 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
.
On June 19, 2012, Alonso became a citizen of the United States of America,[28] and he stated that he would like to play for the United States national team despite playing for Cuba in the past.[29] He has not been called up to the Cuba national team since he defected to the United States. The FIFA statutes state that:
"If a Player who has been fielded by his Association in an international match in accordance with art. 5 par. 2 permanently loses the nationality of that country without his consent or against his will due to a decision by a government authority, he may request permission to play for another Association whose nationality he already has or has acquired."[30]
Personal life
Alonso is married to Liang Perez and has three children. His return to Atlanta United FC after his ACL tear was prompted by a request from his daughter Paulina.[25]