Minnesota United officially announced the signing of 35-year-old team captain Osvaldo "Ozzie" Alonso on Saturday. The veteran defensive midfielder gets a one-year deal for his 13th MLS season.
Minnesota United makes Ozzie Alonso signing official
The veteran defensive midfielder gets a one-year deal at age 35.
March 6, 2021 at 6:42PM
"We've managed to retain a player who I believe has been the best in his position for the last 10 years in MLS," coach Adrian Heath said in a team release. "It's more than just his football — everyone knows how good he is on the field — you can't have enough people in your organization like him."
A native of Cuba, Alonso's journey to the MLS is detailed in this Star Tribune feature from 2019.
Alonso played 37 games in two seasons after the Loons acquired him from Seattle before the 2019 season. Last year, in a season interrupted by injury, he started 15 of 17 games in all competitions.
Alonso's return comes after the club signed veteran defensive midfielder and U.S. national team member Wil Trapp, 28, to play the defensive-midfielder position. That's where Alonso was a four-time MLS All Star during his 10 seasons in Seattle.
His signing was first reported on Feb. 12.
Minnesota started only two strikers against Seattle, leaving Sang Bin Jeong and Joseph Rosales to provide the width behind Teemu Pukki and Kelvin Yeboah.
