Throughout Osvaldo Alonso's seven years with the Seattle Sounders, he has been known as "El Corazón" because of how much passion he plays with. We've also begun calling him "the Honey Badger" because of his reckless abandon, and seeming indifference toward his opponents.
But we've never really seen that kind of passion away from the field. Alonso now speaks English, but is mostly reserved in interviews. We really get to peek inside his mind.
That may have begun to change.
Alonso was, of course, reunited with his father recently. The two had not seen each other for more than eight years, when the younger Alonso defected from Cuba and embarked on the journey that eventually brought him to stardom with the Sounders.
This interview with father and son shows an entirely different side of Alonso, one that is genuinely moved at seeing someone he thought he may never see again.
"It was one of the happiest moments of my life," Alonso said about seeing meeting his father at SeaTac. "After eight years of not being able to see him, and now to have him here with me, and have him enjoy the things I've experienced. I will have it as a very important day in my life."
Similarly, we get some hints as to where Alonso gets his steely resolve, but his father also shows an emotional side.
"Just imagine, I knew him as a youngster, no family, no wife, no children," the elder Alonso said. "Now I see him as an accomplished adult with character."
This is really a wonderful interview. Definitely give it a watch.