Maykel Galindo
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Maykel Galindo Castañeda | ||
| Date of birth | January 28, 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Villa Clara, Cuba | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2001–2005 | Villa Clara | 87 | (31) |
| 2005–2006 | Seattle Sounders | 10 | (4) |
| 2007–2010 | Chivas USA | 67 | (18) |
| 2010 | → FC Tampa Bay (loan) | 10 | (2) |
| 2011 | FC Dallas | 6 | (0) |
| 2012–2013 | Los Angeles Blues | 21 | (1) |
| Total | 231 | (56) | |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2002–2005 | Cuba | 35 | (12) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of August 18, 2014. ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of October 27, 2009 |
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Maykel Galindo Castañeda (born January 28, 1981 in Villa Clara) is a Cuban footballer.
A rising star in the youth ranks of the Cuban national team, he made his debut in a January 2002 friendly match against Guatemala. Galindo then made the senior squad for the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup, to be played in the United States.
After scoring in a 3-1 loss to Costa Rica, Galindo sought asylum in the United States and successfully defected in Seattle, Washington.
In an interview with Irish radio show Team 33 on Newstalk, he said of his defection: "I made my decision when I went to United States and thought 'I'm not going back to Cuba'. I remember when I called my Mum, I said 'Mum, I'm not going back. I'm going to stay here, fighting'. She's crying but at the end of the day, she said 'You're my son, you're going to be alone over there. Take care, we support you with whatever you do'. And it's been almost 12 years."
He confirmed that he had made his first visit to Cuba for more than 11 years in the Autumn of 2016.
Galindo signed with Seattle Sounders of the USL First Division in 2005 but struggled through injuries during his two seasons there. He then signed with Chivas USA of Major League Soccer prior to the 2007 season and became a regular starter for Chivas. On April 21, 2007, Galindo scored two goals in the first ten minutes of the match in a 4-0 win over Real Salt Lake. He remained with the club through the 2010 season, though he was briefly loaned to FC Tampa Bay of the USSF Division 2 Professional League in 2010.
A new regime hired by Chivas USA before the 2011 season deemed Galindo expendable and his contract option was declined on January 21, 2011. He spent the 2011 preseason training with FC Dallas though Chivas USA still held his rights. FC Dallas finally traded a Supplemental draft pick for his rights and signed him on April 1, 2011.
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