Maykel Galindo

Maykel Galindo Castañeda (born January 28, 1981, in Villa Clara) is a Cuban former professional footballer.

Maykel Galindo
Personal information
Full name Maykel Galindo Castañeda
Date of birth (1981-01-28) January 28, 1981
Place of birth Villa Clara, Cuba
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Position(s) Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2001–2005 Villa Clara 87 (31)
2005–2006 Seattle Sounders 10 (4)
2007–2010 Chivas USA 67 (18)
2010 → FC Tampa Bay (loan) 10 (2)
2011 FC Dallas 6 (0)
2012–2013 Los Angeles Blues 21 (1)
Total 201 (56)
International career‡
2002–2005 Cuba 35 (12)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of August 18, 2014
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of October 27, 2009

Career

International

A rising star in the youth ranks of the Cuba national team, he made his debut in a January 2002 friendly match against Guatemala. Galindo then made the senior squad for the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup,[1] to be played in the United States. He has earned a total of 35 caps, scoring 12 goals.[2] He represented his country in 3 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches[3] and played at 3 CONCACAF Gold Cup final tournaments.

Defection

After scoring in a 3–1 loss to Costa Rica, Galindo sought asylum in the United States and successfully defected in Seattle, Washington.[4]

In an interview with Irish radio show Team 33 on Newstalk, he said of his defection: "I made my decision when I went to United States and thought 'I'm not going back to Cuba'. I remember when I called my Mum, I said 'Mum, I'm not going back. I'm going to stay here, fighting'. She's crying but at the end of the day, she said 'You're my son, you're going to be alone over there. Take care, we support you with whatever you do'. And it's been almost 12 years."[5]

He confirmed that he had made his first visit to Cuba for more than 11 years in the Autumn of 2016.[5]

Professional

Galindo signed with Seattle Sounders of the USL First Division in 2005 but struggled through injuries during his two seasons there. He then signed with Chivas USA of Major League Soccer prior to the 2007 season and became a regular starter for Chivas. On April 21, 2007, Galindo scored two goals in the first ten minutes of the match in a 4–0 win over Real Salt Lake. He remained with the club through the 2010 season, though he was briefly loaned to FC Tampa Bay of the USSF Division 2 Professional League in 2010.

A new regime hired by Chivas USA before the 2011 season deemed Galindo expendable and his contract option was declined on January 21, 2011.[6] He spent the 2011 preseason training with FC Dallas though Chivas USA still held his rights. FC Dallas finally traded a Supplemental draft pick for his rights and signed him on April 1, 2011.[7]

Galindo stayed with FC Dallas for the 2011 campaign. At season's end, the club declined his 2012 contract option, and he entered the 2011 MLS Re-Entry Draft. Galindo was not selected in the draft and became a free agent.

Honours

Seattle Sounders

References
  1. CONCACAF Championship, Gold Cup 2005 – Full Details Archived 2008-10-24 at the Wayback Machine – RSSSF
  2. "Appearances for Cuba National Team". RSSSF.
  3. Maykel Galindo – FIFA competition record (archived)
  4. "Cuban defector put it all on line for his soccer dream". CNN. March 28, 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-28.
  5. ""I left the hotel alone" – Former Cuba star tells us about defecting to USA and launching his MLS career".
  6. "Big roster changes as Chivas USA open training | Chivas USA". Archived from the original on 2011-10-08. Retrieved 2011-11-02.
  7. "FC Dallas acquires rights to Maykel Galindo from Chivas USA". 1 April 2011.
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