Osvaldo Alonso

Professional

Alonso began his career with Pinar del Río in his homeland, after which he defected to the United States in June 2007.

Charleston Battery

He trained with Chivas USA and was offered a $12,900 developmental contract with the team. Instead, Alonso signed with Charleston Battery on the theory he would get more playing time on a USL First Division team. He 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. 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.

Seattle Sounders FC

In 2008, Alonso was signed by Seattle Sounders FC, for whom he quickly became a regular starter at defensive midfield. In the 2009 MLS Season, he started 28 of 29 appearances in the regular season and playoffs. He played the full 90 minutes in 26 games and all 210 minutes in both playoff games against Houston. After missing three matches with a quadriceps strain, Alonso returned to score on a long-range blast against D.C. United on June 17. He finished with one goal and three assists for the season. All three assists came during first two matches. Alonso also appeared in two U.S. Open Cup games, including 90 minutes in the final. In 2010, Alonso returned from injury to help Seattle post the league's…

Alonso served as captain of the Cuba U-23 national team during qualification for the men's football tournament at the 2008 Summer Olympics. He made his debut for the senior Cuba national team in a 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. His final appearance for the national team was at the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup in June 2007 against Panama.

Defection to the United States

In June 2007, Alonso defected from Cuba while the team was in Houston, Texas to face Honduras at the Gold Cup. Another Cuban teammate, Lester Moré, defected to the United States during the team's same trip to the United States. Alonso was with teammates at a Wal-Mart when he went off by himself while browsing through merchandise and then left the store. 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, and he stated that he would like to play for the United States national team despite playing for Cuba in the past. 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…

As of December 23, 2023

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. In January 2025, Alonso joined the ownership group for USL Spokane, comprising Spokane Velocity FC and Spokane Zephyr FC. The Velocity are a men's professional team competing in USL League One, and the Zephyr are a women's professional team competing in USL Super League.