Osvaldo Alonso excited to be back in Charleston

The Sounders will take part in the Carolina Challenge Cup starting this Saturday, when they take on the Charleston Battery at 4:00 pm PT. This will be the final “tune up” before the Sounders head to Houston to take on the Dynamo on March 4.

There is one player that is happy to be playing against the Battery: Osvaldo Alonso. Alonso spent one season in Charleston before moving to the Sounders for their inaugural season in 2009. Even though he spent only one season with them, Alonso is happy to be back in Charleston.

“It was good,” Alonso said. “It was my first club here in the U.S. Playing with them gave me a great boost to come to MLS.”

This will be just the second time he has been back in Charleston since he left. The last time was in 2014 when the Sounders also competed in the Carolina Challenge Cup. Alonso scored the first goal in the 25th minute of the Sounders’ eventual 2-1 win.

“It’s always great to go back and see friends. It’s a nice city. I like the facilities, the stadium, the people around me [back then]. I’m very happy I played there.”

Alonso was part of the Charleston team that made a run all the way to the US Open Cup Final in 2008. Even though they lost the final 2-1 to D.C. United, the Battery dispatched two MLS clubs in FC Dallas and the Dynamo along the way.

It is not known how much Alonso will play, or even if he will suit up as he is still recovering from the knee injury he picked up in the Western Conference Finals against Colorado. He did not play in either of the two preseason matches earlier this month in Tucson.