Osvaldo Alonso Moreno

Osvaldo Alonso is a Cuban footballer who plays as a midfielder and his current club is Minnesota United FC of Major League Soccer. The entire sports career of the Cuban footballer seems like a journey of titans. The athlete from the Island has dominated during his 12-year spell in Major League Soccer, the professional American football competition.

Current Team: Minnesota United. Championship: MLS
Country: United States. Minnesota United
O. Alonso
Age: 11/11/1985 (34 Years Old)
Height: 180 cm
Weight: 70 kg
Player Position: Midfielder
Stronger Foot: Right

Ozzie has been an All-Star four times. In 2012 he was part of the MLS Best XI, which is the league's ideal eleven. He was also champion of the U.S Open Cup on four occasions, and in 2014 he won the MLS Supporters' Shield with Seattle. This award is given to the teams with the most points in the season.

Alonso began his career in Pinar del Río in his native land, developing as a footballer under the direction and advice of experienced Cuban coaches who made him a good athlete. He moved to the United States in June 2007. He was signed by Seattle Sounders in 2008, where he quickly became a regular starter in defensive midfield. He was voted as the team's most valuable player in 2010 and 2011.

In Cuba, Alonso served as captain of Cuba's Under-23 team of the national squad during the qualifying tournament for the 2008 Olympic Games. He made his debut with Cuba's senior national team in a Caribbean Cup 2006-07 against Turks and Caicos Islands. His last game for the national team was in the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2007 against Panama.

After Alonso decided to settle in the United States during the 2007 Gold Cup, he was never called up to the Cuban national team again. In June 2012, Alonso became a U.S. citizen, which technically made him eligible to represent the United States national team according to FIFA rules.

He has participated in:
National Football Championship of Cuba FC Pinar del Río Cuba 2006
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Seattle Sounders FC United States 2009
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Seattle Sounders FC United States 2010
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Seattle Sounders FC United States 2011
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Seattle Sounders FC United States 2014
Supporter's Shield Seattle Sounders FC United States 2014
MLS Cup Seattle Sounders FC United States 2016

Honors
Pinar del Río
National Football Championship of Cuba (1): 2006

Seattle Sounders FC
Lamar Hunt US Open Cup (4): 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014
MLS Supporters' Shield: 2014

Individual
MLS All-Star (3): 2011, 2012, 2014
MLS All-Star Reserve List (1): 2013
MLS Best XI (1): 2012

In 2019, the English portal GOAL ranked him in the ideal eleven of the past decade in MLS. He has been playing there for more than 10 years and is placed in the same legendary lists of that country as Landon Donovan.

Overall, in matches Ozzie does what he knows how to do: he is reliable in marking, skillful in tackles and precise in distribution. He runs, he helps, he makes himself available on every ball and finishes exhausted. Still, as the team captain, he takes the responsibility of taking the first penalty kick and converting it for his team.