CARSON, Calif. - Chivas USA today announced the signing of Cuban forward Maykel Galindo. The 26-year-old Galindo, who gained political asylum in the United States while playing for the Cuban National Team at the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup in Seattle, has been training with Chivas USA's first team since February 8. Galindo joins Chivas USA as a Senior International player, pending the approval of his U.S. green card.
Born January 28, 1981 in Villa Clara, Cuba, Galindo joins Chivas USA from the Seattle Sounders, where in one and-a-half seasons (2005-2006) he played 1,023 minutes for the USL First Division side, scoring 5 goals, none more important than his game-tying goal in the 2005 USL First Division Championship game, which Seattle would eventually win on penalty kicks.
Galindo received national attention in 2005 when, as a member of Cuba's squad at the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup, he left the team hotel and sought political asylum in the U.S., one day after scoring Cuba's only goal in a 3-1 loss to Costa Rica at Seattle's Qwest Field. For a March 2006 interview about Galindo's defection to the United States, please see: www.soccer365.com/_365_Interviews/page_123_119190.shtml
TRANSACTION: Chivas USA signs forward Maykel Galindo as a Senior International player
MAYKEL GALINDO
Name: Maykel Galindo Castañeda
Number:
Position: Delantero/Forward
Date of birth: 1981-01-28, Villa Clara, Cuba
Hometown: Seattle, Washington
Citizenship: Cuba
Weight: 165 lbs
Height: 5'10"
Last team: Seattle Sounders (USL-1)
Acquired: Signed by Chivas USA as a Senior International, February 19, 2007
