Cuban defector put it all on line for his soccer dream

A mostly unknown entity last season, Maykel Galindo exploded for 12 goals for Chivas USA, fifth-best in Major League Soccer. J. Miranda/MLS

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By Jonah Freedman, SI.com

Reprinted from SI Latino

As Maykel Galindo stood shaking in the elevator of the Westin Hotel in downtown Seattle, he realized which button he pushed would change his life forever.

If he hit L for lobby, it meant returning to Santo Domingo, a town in the central province of Villa Clara, Cuba, to a life where he made around $10 a month as an amateur athlete in a sport few people in his homeland cared about. A land where there was no hope of a better future for himself or his family, especially his beloved grandmother, Isabel.

If he had the courage to follow through with his plan, push a button for a random floor and exit the hotel through the stairwell, there was no guarantee of anything. No guarantee of following his dream of becoming a professional soccer player. No assurance of financial security to send money home to his family. No chance of ever doing things we take for granted, like learning to drive a car or surf the Web.

The promise was better than going home. At worst, he figured he'd find any low-paying job, even if it meant he'd have to set his true passion aside. And so it was that on July 9, 2005, the former Cuban national-teamer disappeared into the Seattle summer night with literally nothing but the clothes on his back, a wad of cash, a map of the city and a couple of phone numbers.

Almost three years later, you'd hardly know that Galindo, 27, who has enjoyed perhaps the greatest success story of any player in this history of Major League Soccer, had endured that evening of high drama. "Papi," as even his non-Latino teammates at Chivas USA call him, has settled comfortably into the role of the jovial Caribbean who bathes the locker room with his easy-going, goofy personality.

The American dream? Galindo is living it on hyperdrive. When he made his MLS debut last season, hardly anyone expected him to blaze out of the gates and challenge for the Golden Boot Award. But by the time opposing defenses finally realized what was going on, this unknown Cuban striker finished the '07 season with 12 goals, fifth-best in the league.

It was a dramatic tale of triumph for a guy who, during his first few months in the United States, not knowing a word of English, felt uncomfortable going out and wouldn't eat a single meal without chopping up bananas and adding them to his food, making it more agreeable to his Caribbean palette.

Now? He's as American as any other athlete. He's hooked on Prison Break. He loves to stuff his face at Benihana. He's constantly surfing the Internet, chatting with friends and checking his e-mail and MySpace page two or three times a day. He's a fanatical follower of the New York Yankees. And with his blinding speed, surprising strength, an eye for goalkeepers' weaknesses and superb finishing skills, he is perhaps the most dangerous player in MLS.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves here. How Galindo came to settle in the U.S. isn't just a tale made for Hollywood, it defines how he has become an adopted American. Just like the seven players who weeks ago defected from the Cuban Under-23 national team during Olympic qualifying in Tampa, Maykel's big chance presented itself at a CONCACAF tournament in the U.S.

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