Cuban defector hopes to play soccer for U.S. national team but faces big obstacle

Cuban defector hopes to play soccer for U.S. national team but faces big
obstacle
Midfielder Osvaldo Alonso, 27, of the Seattle Sounders can't even try
for the team because Cuban government won't grant him permission. He is
running out of time for a chance to play in a World Cup.
By Kevin Baxter
October 5, 2013, 3:00 p.m.

Osvaldo Alonso's dream is no different than that of many soccer players:
He wants to play in the World Cup.

And by most estimates the tenacious midfielder has the ability to make
that happen.

But in Alonso's case, even exceptional talent and desire haven't been
enough to overcome one obstacle that remains in his path. For the last
16 months, politics have kept Alonso from even trying out for the U.S.
national team, which last month earned a berth in the 2014 World Cup in
Brazil.

Alonso starred for the Cuban national team before defecting in the
aisles of a Houston Wal-Mart during the 2007 Gold Cup. He became a U.S.
citizen five years later. That hasn't made him eligible for the U.S.
national team because before defecting, Alonso played 16 games for his
homeland, leaving him cap-tied to Cuba.

In rare instances FIFA, soccer's global govern ring body, can step in
and allow a player to change allegiances but that's not likely to happen
in this case without Cuba's blessing.

"It's out of our hands," said a U.S. Soccer official who is not
authorized to speak about it on the record. "We need Cuba to move first.
Even if he was the best player in the country there's nothing we can do."

And Alonso is decidedly not the best player in the country. He probably
wouldn't even be a first-choice midfielder if selected to the national
team. But his harassing, physical play fits so well with U.S. Coach
Juergen Klinsmann's preferred style that Alonso would certainly earn a
call-up to a national team camp.

"Every player that you follow and plays on a consistent high level is of
interest to us," Klinsmann said earlier this year. "Ozzie did that over
the past two years. He really made himself known as a strong No. 6, a
very good team player, a player that is always there for his teammates
in a role similar to Kyle Beckerman at Real Salt Lake.

"You just hope you can make something happen for him. We can't bring him
in until this topic is solved."

Alonso, 27, says he defected because he wanted to play professionally,
not so much for the money but for the opportunity to test himself
against better players and see how good he could really be. That
possibility didn't exist in Cuba where, until last month, professional
sports were banned.

"I grew up playing soccer in Cuba," he said. "But when you get to the
national team you have no more levels to go. So I took advantage of the
opportunity to come here to grow my success in soccer."

He has done that in Major League Soccer, starting 168 games over 41/2
season for the Seattle Sounders heading into Saturday's game at
Colorado. But nearly 11/2 years after becoming a U.S. citizen, he's no
closer to achieving his World Cup dream than he was when he defected.

Privately, U.S. Soccer officials insist a solution is so unlikely they
are no longer actively pursuing one. And that leaves Alonso and his
World Cup dream in limbo.

"It's been almost a year waiting for Cuba," he said by phone after a
recent training session. "But it is what it is. I have to wait … until
they say 'yes' to get the opportunity to play for the U.S."

One of 21 soccer players to defect from Cuba since 1999, Alonso insists
he has no regrets. In the U.S. he married another Cuban emigre, the
former Liang Perez, and both became U.S. citizens shortly after
welcoming a son, Dennis.

"You come here, you get the citizenship. You're in America. You live in
this country forever," Alonso said. "For me, one of the best things I
did in the United States is become a citizen."

There's also the $210,000 he'll be paid this season playing for the
Sounders, quite a hike from the $20 per month he received in Cuba.

"I don't think you'll find a player that will tell you that they regret
leaving Cuba. Even if they end up working at a [supermarket]," said
baseball agent Jaime Torres, who has represented several Cuban
defectors, including the Chicago White Sox's Alexei Ramirez and the
Dodgers' Yasiel Puig.

Alonso says friends and family in Cuba are aware of his success and
follow his career on the Internet and through videos he sends. The
government is surely watching as well and, given recent policy changes
on the island, that offers the tiniest glimmer of hope that Alonso might
someday play again for Cuba.

In late September the government reversed five decades of precedence and
approved a law that will allow athletes to play professionally outside
Cuba and still compete for the national team. It seems unlikely that
welcome mat would be extended to defectors though. And given that Cuba
has not qualified for soccer's marquee event since 1938, Alonso would
probably have a better chance achieving his World Cup dream waiting for
permission to play with the U.S. rather begging for an invitation from Cuba.

Patience, however, isn't a luxury that he enjoys. Reminded he'll be 32
when the 2018 World Cup kicks off, he heaves a weary sigh.

"Yeah," he said. "It has to be now or never."

kevin.baxter@latimes.com

Twitter: @kbaxter11

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