BIOGRAPHY
Osvaldo Alonso Moreno was born on November 11, 1985 in San Cristobal, Cuba. He is a midfielder in Major League Soccer.
Alonso began his career with Pinar del Río in his homeland, after which he defected to the United States in June 2007. He trained with Chivas USA and was offered a $12,900 developmental contract with the team. Eventually, Alonso opted to sign 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 ultimately 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.
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. Alonso also appeared in two U.S. Open Cup games, including 90 minutes in the final. For the 2010 season, he started 23 of 25 appearances in the regular season and playoffs, matching his 2009 totals with one goal and three assists. Alonso also appeared in two U.S. Open Cup and five CONCACAF Champions League matches. In February 2011, Alonso signed a contract extension with Seattle through the 2014 season. In 2011, he led field players with 33 appearances and 2891 minutes (ranked 12th among field players in MLS). He played the full 90 minutes in each of his 32 MLS starts. Alonso scored a career-high three goals and matched his high with three assists. He was selected as an MLS All-Star for the first time. He scored both goals in 2–2 draw at Comunicaciones on September 27 in a CCL Group Stage match. Alonso was named U.S. Open Cup Player of the Round for his performance in the final. He made 43 appearances and 40 starts across all competitions. In 2012, Alonso was named to the MLS Best XI for the first time in after a stellar season in midfield, leading the team with 30 starts. He compiled a team-high 2,688 minutes in regular season play, the second-highest total by a field player in franchise history behind his 2011 total. He was named an MLS All-Star for the second straight season and voted team MVP for the third straight year. Alonso played 56 minutes in a 3–2 win over Chelsea in the 2012 MLS All-Star Game. He was named the 2012 U.S. Open Cup Player of the Tournament after scoring four goals and two assists in four games, including the winner against 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. After missing games in both the 2014 and 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs, Alonso was being actively shopped around the league by the Seattle Sounders front office due to durability concerns before the start of the 2016 MLS season. A trade did not materialize, and Alonso went on to make 38 league and playoff appearances for the 2016 MLS Cup winning Sounders. 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.
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. 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. In March 2021, Alonso re-signed with Minnesota.
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 Cuban national team in a Caribbean Nations Cup 2006-07 match against the Turks & Caicos Islands in September 2006. During his time with the Cuban 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.
