For decades, Cubans seeking athletic promise beyond their restrictive borders have dashed from U.S. hotels or disappeared into stadium shadows, choosing to leave behind family and friends for liberty and opportunity.
Luis Paradela carried many of the same dreams, seeking to grow as a soccer player outside the unfulfilling Cuban league. At 22, he is at a prime age to follow the bold and heart-wrenching path set by dozens of defecting athletes since international opportunity turned scarce after the Cuban revolution of 1959.
Paradela is now in Nevada, playing for Reno 1868 FC, a second-division club affiliated with MLS’s San Jose Earthquakes.