By Andrew Miller (Contact)
The Post and Courier
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Defector Osvaldo Alonso is playing for the Charleston Battery a year
after leaving Cuba.
Osvaldo Alonso thinks about the question for a moment, looks down at his
feet, and in a soft voice, barely above a whisper, recalls what he
misses most about his hometown of San Cristobal, Cuba.
"Mi familia."
The meaning is universal. Alonso, a 22-year-old soccer player for the
Charleston Battery, says he thinks about his family every day since
defecting from Cuba last summer.
While people across America commemorate freedom with barbecues and
fireworks, Alonso celebrates his new-found freedom and independence
every time he steps onto a soccer field in the United States.
Although it's been more than a year since Alonso slipped out the front
door of a Wal-Mart in Houston, the memories of that day are still fresh
in the mind of the former Cuban national soccer team captain.
"I think about it every day," Alonso said through an interpreter. "It
was one of the happiest days of my life."
Alonso shies away from any political discussions of long-time communist
dictator Fidel Castro and doesn't share specific details about his life
in Cuba, but he can't stop talking about his freedom.
"I'm free to do whatever I want, whenever I want, that's freedom,"
Alonso said. "That's what is great about America. I can travel anywhere
I want, whenever I want. The choices are mine. What I do is up to me and
no one else. Unless you've lived in Cuba you wouldn't understand why
that's an amazing feeling."
Alonso and Battery teammate Lester More, 29, were the latest Cuban
athletes to defect from the Caribbean island. The two defected last
summer while the Cuban national soccer team was in the United States
playing in the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
For years, Alonso and More had dreamed about leaving Cuba and pursuing
professional soccer careers abroad. But it wasn't until early in 2007
that Alonso actually started to put a plan in motion. As soon as it was
announced that the Cuban team would play in the United States, Alonso
began to plot a serious exit strategy.
"I had been thinking about it for a while, but the opportunity was never
there for me to leave," Alonso said.
The Great Escape
When the Cuban national team arrived in New Jersey last June for an
exhibition match, it was More who made the first move. After a training
session, More got back to the team hotel, told a teammate he was going
to a nearby convenience store and strolled out the front door. He
contacted a friend in New Jersey, and was on a bus headed to Miami by
afternoon. The decision to leave Cuba was much easier for More, who as a
member of the Cuban national team had already been in the U.S. five
times since 1999.
"There was nowhere else for me to go in soccer in Cuba," More said. "I
was playing in the highest division against the best competition already
and I wanted to play soccer at the highest level. Yes, I miss my family,
but it was something I had been thinking about since the first time I
came to the United States in 1999."
Alonso and More had no idea that the other was going to defect during
their trip.
"It's not something you talk about in Cuba," Alonso said.
Three days later, Cuba was to face Honduras in the Gold Cup in Houston.
Out with teammates on a shopping spree at a Wal-Mart, Alonso browsed the
merchandise and slowly separated from his teammates. When he thought no
one was looking, he simply walked out of the front door and never looked
back.
"My heart was beating so fast as I was walking out the door," Alonso
said. "I don't think I'd ever been that nervous or scared in my whole
life. I was thinking about my mother and father and all my family. It
was overwhelming."
Alonso walked several blocks until he found a man who spoke Spanish. He
borrowed a cell phone to call a friend in Miami.
"I didn't know anyone in Houston," Alonso said. "I knew I had to get to
Miami as quickly as possible."
Alonso said he was never worried about the Cuban government exacting
revenge against his family back in San Cristobal, a small town about an
hour's drive from Havana.
"Once you get to America, they usually don't come after you," Alonso
said. "So, as soon as I knew I was free, I didn't have to worry anymore."
A new life
Under the United States' so-called "wet-foot, dry-foot" policy, Cuban
defectors are generally allowed to stay as soon as they set foot on
American soil. More and Alonso are currently in the country under
working visas, but both hope to have their green cards by fall. They
ended up on the same team again.
"I don't know that I could have done what Osvaldo and Lester did," said
Battery President Andrew Bell. "I'm not sure I could have walked away
from my family, my friends, and the only way of life I'd ever known and
come to a place where I didn't speak the language or know very many
people, especially at his age."
The hardest part of leaving Cuba, Alonso admits, is not seeing his
mother. He calls his mother at least once a week.
"She was very sad at first," Alonso said. "But I think as time has gone
on, she has gotten better about it. She understands why I left."
The adjustment to life in America has been an ongoing process for both
men. "There are so many things to do here, places to see, places to eat,
things to pick from, that it's hard to decide what to do and where to
go," Alonso said. "It's fantastic, but it also makes me sad to think
about Cuba, where they don't have all of these things to pick from."
Said More: "Everyone is in a hurry in the United States. That's been a
surprise to me. In Cuba, everyone is more laid-back, not in a hurry."
Getting to the MLS
Since 1991, dozens of Cuban athletes have defected from the Caribbean
island, including more than 20 baseball players. Alonso and More were
not the first soccer players to defect. In 2005, Maykel Galindo left the
Cuban national team during a CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament in Seattle.
Galindo is playing for Chivas USA of Major League Soccer, the highest
level of professional soccer in the United States.
"(Galindo) kind of inspired me to leave Cuba," Alonso said.
Alonso and More were invited to train with Chivas USA last winter. They
worked out with the team while waiting for their immigration paperwork.
Finally, in early March, Chivas offered Alonso a developmental contract
for $12,900, but the young midfielder figured he'd get more playing time
with a United Soccer Leagues' First Division team, so that's how he
ended up in Charleston.
"I don't really care what level I play at right now," Alonso said. "I
wanted to play in the MLS, but it didn't work out. The competition level
even in the USL First Division is still higher than it is in Cuba."
Battery coach Mike Anhaeuser jumped at the chance to sign both More and
Alonso.
"I think Osvaldo realized pretty early that Chivas was not going to use
him right away," Anhaeuser said. "He wasn't comfortable with the
situation and once he got here, I knew by his second practice that he
was going to be a fixture in our lineup. No question he has the
potential to play in the MLS or even over in Europe."
As much as he likes the United States, Alonso still longs to see his
family. Most Cubans are allowed to return once every five years, but
because Alonso defected, he's not sure when he'll be able to go back.
"Hopefully one day I can go back," Alonso said. "I know right now it's
impossible."
http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/jul/12/sweet_freedom47294/
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