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Welcome Home, Ozzie

By Seattle Sounders FC

March 1^st, 2024

Head Coach Brian Schmetzer is fond of saying that the club is the connection between the players and the fans.

Dating back to the Sounders’ inception in 1974, few players have represented that eternal bond between the team and the community quite like Osvaldo Alonso.

Nicknamed “El Corazón” for his insatiable passion on the pitch and role as the heartbeat of the team, Alonso returned to Lumen Field on Thursday to sign a one-day contract and retire in Rave Green. It was fitting for Alonso to come home to the stadium where he forever etched his name into the history of our club.

Sitting at a press conference table behind seven of the eight major trophies he won with the organization, Alonso spoke openly about the special place that the club holds in his heart.

“I always wanted to retire as a Sounder,” said Alonso. “That’s why I waited for this moment. I left, but the Sounders were in my heart every time. Being here today and having this opportunity to retire as a Sounder is one of the best days of my life."

“Sounders is my home. I’m very grateful to be here to sign a one-day contract to retire as a Sounder. I was dreaming this moment would come. It finally came and I’m very excited to be here today.”

It was a beautiful moment to have a club legend, an icon of the game, share his love for the team he helped build into a powerhouse. And it was perfectly bookended by Schmetzer’s closing remarks at the press conference.

Fighting back tears, Schmetzer spoke about the poetic nature of Alonso ending his career where it all began.

“It’s right that he retires here with the Sounders,” said Schmetzer. “I think it’s just right. It feels right.”

Alonso came to America when he was 21 years old with the Cuban national team. He made the impossible decision to leave his family behind and defect while on international duty. After playing in USL with the Charleston Battery in 2008, he joined the Sounders for the inaugural MLS season one year later.

“Coming here to a new country, learning a new language and new culture was hard,” he said. “It was the best decision I made in my life, looking back now.”

Alonso is arguably one of the best midfielders to ever grace Major League Soccer. He blended grace and grit, unparalleled intelligence and indomitable force. Operating as the No. 6, he was impossible to dispossess on the ball and a one-man wrecking crew defensively.

Throughout his tenure with the Sounders, Alonso made 339 appearances across all competitions. During the club’s first three years in MLS, he led the team to back-to-back-to-back U.S Open Cup titles. He never missed the playoffs in any of his ten seasons, and he went on to win a U.S. Open Cup and Supporters’ Shield double in 2014 before lifting the club’s first-ever MLS Cup in 2016.

“On the day we won [MLS Cup], I was just so happy because I waited for that moment for so many years,” said Alonso.

Alonso also spoke openly about how everything he accomplished was made possible by the constant love and encouragement he received from his family.

“My wife was always there for me,” said Alonso. “When I came to this country, I was alone. Nobody was here, just her. I want to thank her for being my everything. I’m here sitting now because of her and my beautiful children that always support me.”

Sounders FC will honor Alonso on Saturday night during pre-match and halftime of the club’s 2024 MLS home opener against Austin FC (7:30 p.m. PT; Watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, 93.3 KJR FM, El Rey 1360AM | TICKETS). It will be a special moment as the city welcomes home one of the club’s all-time greats and celebrates his eternal legacy in Rave Green.

“Coming back today here and seeing a lot of fans that still love me here – and every time I played in Seattle, they gave me a good welcome – I’m very grateful for that,” said Alonso. “Sounders is home for me. I love the fans here. I’m very excited for Saturday night because it’s going to be epic. It’s going to be amazing.”

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