“Brave” Leonardo Acevedo Joins Empire

20-year-old futsal sensation signs professionally after defecting from Cuba

Ontario, Calif. — The Empire Strykers today announced that they have signed Leonardo Acevedo through the 2025-26 Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) season. Acevedo’s path to the highest level of indoor soccer in the world has been an adventurous one, as he joins the Strykers two years after defecting from Cuba during a major international tournament held abroad. At Empire, the 20-year-old will once again be teammates with his compatriot Walter Díaz.

Acevedo, whose older brother is a professional baseball player in Cuba, wrote in Spanish, “I’m beyond grateful for the chance to showcase my skills for one of the top organizations in the MASL. Parting with some of my family members was very difficult, but this makes it all worthwhile. I came here to pursue my dreams, and I intend to pay the Strykers back by giving it my all. Getting to do it alongside Walter, my longtime teammate, makes me even more excited.”

Born and raised in the capital of Cuba, Havana, Leonardo Acevedo played futsal for his secondary school, Escuela Secundaria José Martí, as well as for local club team La Habana. Having risen through the youth ranks at La Habana, he was promoted to the senior squad, sharing a locker room for the first time with current Strykers attacker Díaz. During their time playing together in Cuba, the pair led their side to a triumph in the 2022 national championships.

In July of the same year, Acevedo’s explosiveness and knack for goal earned him a call-up to represent his country in the UNCAF FIFA Forward U-20 Futsal Tournament in Guatemala, which featured the six best nations from Central America. Despite being only 18 years old, the attacker not only debuted in his team’s opener against El Salvador but found the net to put Cuba ahead 2-1. The “Lions of the Caribbean” would go on to win the match 8-3.

Following the memorable moment, Acevedo did not take the field in the competition again, as he defected prior to the second group game. Nearly four months later, he arrived stateside in Miami, where he would live with his father and other relatives while making a name for himself in the national futsal scene. As he looked to advance his career, Acevedo laced up for several small-sided outfits, two of which — “Miami Angels” and Miami-based “Dream Team” — reunited him with fellow Cuban Walter Díaz.

Playing side by side with Díaz for Angels in July 2023, Acevedo bagged two goals in the U.S. Futsal National Championship in Las Vegas.

“Leonardo Acevedo is not only an extremely gifted player but also a very brave human being,” offered Empire’s executive vice president, Jimmy Nordberg. “His route to us has been characterized by resilience and a relentless will to succeed. Those traits are invaluable as we look to turn things around and win an MASL championship. Whenever adversity finds us this season, having Leonardo on our team will make us better prepared.”

Season ticket packages for the Empire Strykers’ 2024-25 MASL campaign are available now and may be purchased here. Single-game tickets will go on sale soon.