Pretty cool thing happened last night at our Hollywood United training session in Manhattan Beach when Cuban defector Reynier Alcantara showed up to train and stay fit ahead of his confirmed upcoming trials with the Colorado Rapids and San Jose Earthquakes.

I got a chance to speak against him afterwards for a few minutes about everything he’s been going through (a 7 day bus trip from the East Coast) and his excitement at the opportunity of just a chance to take the next step in his life, becoming a professional soccer player.

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Two members of Cuba’s national soccer team have gone missing during the team’s trip to Washington for a World Cup qualifying match, the team’s coach told reporters on Friday.

“It is always a problem for the Cuba team,” coach Reinhold Fanz told the Washington Post. “We have security, but you can’t handcuff them to their rooms.”

The Post identified the players as midfielder Pedro Faife, 24, and forward Reynier Alcantara, 26.

Image via Gearlog

The Screaming Eagles and American Outlaws are hosting a couple of get togethers this weekend in DC for the Saturday night game versus Cuba.

Friday Oct 10 - USA Supporters Meet and Greet will be at Momo’s Sports Bar, 5:30 to Closing.

Saturday Oct 11 - Tailgate is at RFK Stadium Lot 8, starting at 3pm until gametime. Lots of food is planned. A key detail is that there will be 10 kegs: including Guinness, Spaten, Sam Adams, plus a couple regional brews Magic Hat from Vermont and Bell’s from Michigan.

PostGame - at Finn macCools.

Definitely go to The Screaming Eagles or The American Outlaws site for more information…this sounds like a blast.

Image via Photobucket

Check out my boy Shaw doing interviews!!

Part 1 if you missed it after the Jump… (more…)

Lots of great stuff at the USMNT blog, including an interesting pre-game Pedro Gomez video and a couple players talking about the unique circumstances of tonight’s game.

Goff gives a good rundown of the scene in Havana.

Grant Wahl talks about the mesmerizing strangeness of the country.

Did you know the admission price for this game is 4 cents?

Will the player’s exchange jerseys after the game? Unlikely, says Maykel Galindo, “If someone wants to exchange jerseys, like in the Gold Cup, you can’t because otherwise you won’t have anything to wear for the next match.”

Finally, what are the Cuba Cinco risking by travelling to Cuba…? On a related note, Miss Cuba is hot.

Live on ESPN Classic and Galavision tonight, 09/06/2008 8:00 PM ET. BVSC is always good!

Grant Wahl of CNNSI. com is in Havana and coming up with unbelievable stuff. This is why he is the best soccer writer in the US.

The USMNT blog is on the scene too as the team steps into 1959 lands in Cuba.

Image via NYDailyNews

The U.S. team held the first of four practices in the north Miami suburbs as it prepared to play Cuba in a FIFA World Cup qualifier in Havana on Saturday. Saturday’s game in Havana will mark only the second time the U.S. has played in Cuba. The Americans are coming off a 1-0 win over Guatemala and are heavily favoured against a Cuban squad that lost to Trinidad and Tobago 3-1 in a qualifier on Aug. 20th. The U.S. needs a win to stay on track to qualify for the World Cup. The Americans play Trinidad and Tobago on Sept. 10 in Bridgeview, Ill., and wins against both countries would all but assure a berth on soccer’s biggest stage.

Both sides are playing down the politics between the two countries, but come game night you have to imagine the atmosphere in the stadium will be Gatorade-commercial intense…

Crumbling Estadio Pedro Marrero seats 28,000 and was built in 1929.

Lingering question…will any crafty US fans find their way to this game (defying the travel ban)…?

Live on ESPN Classic and Galavision.

Image via Fussballtempel

…Even at Camp Gitmo in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. 

Image via Flickr