Minnesota United made their first major signing of the MLS off-season on Thursday, signing up Alonso to a possible DP contract, as it was reported that they were very interested Osvaldo Alonso.
The 33-year-old joins Romario Ibarra, Jan Gergus and Fernando Bob through the front door as Adrian Heath looks to improve upon last season’s thirteenth-placed finish.
Discussing the new arrival, the following are some quotes from a Sam Stejskal:
“We’ve just added a great leader and a warrior to our roster,” said MNUFC Sporting Director Manny Lagos in a team statement. “It’ll be nice to have him on the field playing for us rather than against us. He’s going to come in and complement and develop our midfield core. He has high expectations for this club and this season. We believe he will add leadership, steel and grit, and will continue to mold a winning mentality on and off the field.”
Meanwhile, Adrian Heath chipped in with:
“We are bringing in one of the best, most competitive and tenacious defensive midfielders in the league,” said MNUFC head coach Adrian Heath. “The first thing we heard when speaking with players, front office staff and coaches about Ozzie was that he is a leader, he won’t accept losing. As we move into Allianz Field we know we need to be better and we are bringing in a player that can help us achieve our goals on the field and someone who can help develop a mentality with our players in the locker room.
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THE HISTORY
Born in Cuba, the Loons’ prodigious new arrival played for youth teams at Pinar del Rio.
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.
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 scored the game-winner at Portland on July 10 by converting his first career penalty. He finished second on the team with 54 shots. 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 added late goal in a2-0 win over Chicago.) 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. His lone goal of the season came on a 65th minute game-winner at Colorado on July 28 when he volleyed a 12-yard shot into the back of the net. 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.
THE PROSPECTS
Osvaldo Alonso is expected to be Minnesota's talisman, Minnsota’s desperately need to boost their options in the final third after netting a meagre 49 goals from 2018 – only five teams found the net on fewer occasions.
Although he’s versatile enough to play across all four attacking positions in a 4-2-3-1 set-up, the Cuban’s favoured spot is on defence to be play the "N'Golo Kante role".
That could mean that he’s been acquired to help make Minnesota more solid at the back. It could be seen that Osvaldo Alonso is seen as that missing link in the midfield for The Loons, that will help them to become more of a prospect for MLS Fantasy fans, once the game updates in February.
Standing five foot 11 inches, a ratio of one successful header from 10 attempts highlights his frailties in the air and suggests he is unlikely to be handed the lone striker role.
Yet Heath’s tactical tinkering could force a reassessment. If the manager sticks with the 3-4-2-1 system utilised in recent matches, Alonso may be handed a central support role alongside Miguel Ibarra.
While there’s no denying his talents, it remains to be seen whether the new boy can reignite his career at the Allianz Field in the same manner as Ibarra.
Certainly, with fellow new boy Jan Gergus also able to play in a central support berth, Ethan Finlay’s chances of being fielded in an advanced role now look minimal at best.
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