Charleston Reporter

In the past decade or so, the Charleston Battery has become a home to soccer players from the Caribbean nation of Cuba.

A team-issued press release said that 10 Cuban players have donned a Battery kit since 2008, with forward Geobel Pérez as the latest member of the hallowed fraternity.

The first two Cuban players to land on the roster were Cuba’s all-time top scorer, Lester Moré, and a rising midfielder named Osvaldo “Ozzie” Alonso.

Moré and Alonso at the time defected from their national team while it visited the U.S. for the 2007 Concacaf Gold Cup, according to the release.

Battery head coach Michael Anhaeuser was an instant fan of Alonso.

“The biggest thing was the two days Ozzie was here, what we noticed right away when he stepped into those informal training sessions was that he dominated,” Anhaeuser said in the release. “The talent was there, but he had that determination to do whatever it took to win. He had all the tools, it was just going to be a matter of refining it and getting him to get comfortable and playing.”

Alonso can’t help but beam with pride that the players who came after him use his experience as a point of inspiration.

“I'm very flattered, it brings me joy that they’re using me as a role model to keep pursuing their career, to keep pursuing their dreams, to come to America, to take a leap of faith and to be adventurous,” he said in the release. “I wish Geobel all the best, just keep working hard and I hope to see him have a successful career like I did.”