Since 1999, 55 Cuban football players have defected to the United States in an attempt to further their professional career or improve their standard of living.
Under the old wet feet, dry feet policy in the United States, any Cuban player who set foot in the United States was entitled to become a US resident. Maykel Galindo, one of the earlier defectors told of the incentives to leave Cuba: "They leave Cuba because they want to make something out of their lives. They are in search of the dream of playing football at a professional level and they know that Cuba will not offer them that. They do it because they feel that their family will be proud of them if they make it to the professional level and many of those players have realized that they can achieve that goal. Thankfully, in my case, doors were being opened to me."[1] The wet feet, dry feet policy ended in January 2017.
As a general rule, Cuban players who defect are not allowed to rejoin the Cuba national team for international matches. Players who defect are generally ineligible to play for the United States team, as FIFA eligibility rules only allow a player to play for one national team during his career.
Rodney Valdes[2][3] (goalkeeper) - Cuban U23 international
2002
Rey Ángel Martínez and Alberto Delgado defected during the 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup. They told Cuba national football team minders that they were going to make a phone call in the hotel lobby but ran out of the hotel and traveled in a taxi to Martinez's uncle.
Cuban international forward Maykel Galindo sought to stay in the United States after he had arrived in the country with the Cuba national team for the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Yosmel de Armas defected in 2012 during Cuba's qualifying campaign for the 2012 Olympics.
Yosmel de Armas Cuban U23 international[10] (he signed for Laredo Heat in 2013[11] )
Prior to a World Cup qualifying game against Canada in Toronto, four players and the team's psychologist Ignacio Abreu Sánchez defected to the United States.[12] Cuba were not able to name any substitutes due to the defections.[13]