Eduardo Sebrango Rodríguez (born 13 April 1973) is a retired
Cuban
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
.
Career
Club
Sebrango started his career in Cuba with his hometown team,
Sancti Spíritus
Sancti Spíritus () is a municipality and capital city of the province of Sancti Spíritus Province, Sancti Spíritus in central Cuba and one of the oldest Cuban European settlements. Sancti Spíritus is the genitive case of Latin language, Lat ...
where he played with the club for 14 seasons as both a youth and a senior player.
Vancouver 86ers
Sebrango immigrated from Cuba to Canada in 1998, and was subsequently signed by the
Vancouver 86ers
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. The ...
of the then
A-League. He scored 18 goals and recorded 10 assists for Vancouver before being signed by
Hershey Wildcats
Hershey Wildcats were a professional soccer team, based in Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States, that played in the USL A-League between 1997 and 2001. The team was owned by Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company. The team played in Hersheypa ...
in 2001.
Montreal Impact
In 2002 Sebrango was signed by
Montreal Impact, and in his first season he scored 18 goals in 28 games and was named to the USL First Division All-Star Team. In 2004 Sebrango helped the Impact lift the USL First Division championship trophy as the Impact defeated the Seattle Sounders 2–0 on 18 September. During the regular season, Sebrango contributed eight goals and three assists. In total Sebrango appeared in 83 games, notching 36 goals and six assists making him the second All-Time scorer for the club.
Return to Vancouver
In 2006 Sebrango was traded to the
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Vancouver. They compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on March ...
in exchange for
Daniel Antoniuk. With the 'Caps he played an important playoff role where he scored a goal in 2–0 victory over the
Miami FC
The Miami FC is an American professional soccer team based in Miami, Florida that competes in the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid.
The club began play in the North American Soccer League (NASL) in the 2016 se ...
. In the semi-final game he scored a memorable goal against his former team
Montreal Impact which the Caps won 2–0. Unfortunately, Sebrango was ejected from the game after scoring his goal for excessive celebration for removing his shirt, and was suspended for the final. With Sebrango in the stands his team were able to win the
USL First Division
The USL First Division (usually referred to as USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States and Canada from 2005 to 2010.
During its existence, it formed the second tier of soccer in the United States soccer league system ...
Championship beating the
Rochester Raging Rhinos
Rochester New York FC, formerly known as the Rochester Rhinos, are an American professional soccer team based in Rochester, New York, United States.
Founded in 1996, as the Rochester Raging Rhinos, they changed their name to Rochester Rhinos to ...
3–0, his third title with three different teams.
In 2008 Sebrango led the Whitecaps in regular season scoring with 12 goals and three assists for 27 points in 29 matches. Sebrango also had two goals in three
Nutrilite Canadian Championship
The Canadian Championship (french: Championnat canadien) is an annual soccer tournament contested by premier Canadian professional teams. The winner is awarded the Voyageurs Cup and Canada's berth in the CONCACAF Champions League. It is contes ...
games and two goals in five playoff matches. He played a significant role to help the Whitecaps win their second
USL First Division
The USL First Division (usually referred to as USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States and Canada from 2005 to 2010.
During its existence, it formed the second tier of soccer in the United States soccer league system ...
championship in three years.
On 30 September 2008 was called up for the USL First Division All-League Team.
Return to Montreal
In November 2008, Sebrango was signed once again by
Montreal Impact. In his first appearance back with the Impact, Sebrango scored Montreal's two goals in the first game of the
CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal against
Santos Laguna
Club Santos Laguna S.A. de C.V. (), commonly known as Santos Laguna or Santos, is a Mexican professional football club that competes in the Liga MX. It is located in northern Mexico and represents the urban area of La Comarca Lagunera, made up o ...
.
During the
2009 USL season Sebrango contributed by helping the Impact clinch a playoff spot under new head coach
Marc Dos Santos
Marc Dos Santos (born May 26, 1977) is a Canadian soccer coach who is an assistant coach for Los Angeles FC in Major League Soccer. He was previously the head coach of Montreal Impact in D2 Pro League and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC, was North ...
. On 22 July Sebrango scored both his 99th and 100th career goals in the USL First Division in a thrilling 4–1 victory over the
Cleveland City Stars
The Cleveland City Stars were an American professional soccer team based in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Founded in 2006, the team played in the USL First Division (USL-1), the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid in 2009. The club folde ...
. In the playoffs, he recorded his first goal in the second match against the
Puerto Rico Islanders
Puerto, a Spanish word meaning ''seaport'', may refer to:
Places
*El Puerto de Santa María, Andalusia, Spain
*Puerto, a seaport town in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines
*Puerto Colombia, Colombia
*Puerto Cumarebo, Venezuela
*Puerto Galera, Orient ...
of the semifinals. He scored the winning goal for the Impact in a 2–1 victory which allowed the Impact to advance to the finals. In the playoffs their opponents would end up being the
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Vancouver. They compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on March ...
this marking the first time in USL history where the final match would consist of two Canadian clubs. On 10 October 2009 in the first match of the finals Sebrango scored once again the winning goal in 3–2 victory at Vancouver. Montreal would later on win the second match to a score of 3–1, thus making Montreal win the series 6–3 on aggregate. The victory gave the Impact their third USL Championship and also the victory marked Sebrango's league record fifth USL Championship (including the USL's predecessor, the A-League).
Sebrango retired before the 2011 season but then re-joined Montreal in mid-season 2011. The following year Sebrango moved with
Montreal Impact to
Major League Soccer as the club became the 19th team in MLS.
FC L'Assomption
Sebrango announced his (second) retirement on 1 November 2012 following Montreal Impact's inaugural season in MLS.
He has signed with semi-pro Division 3 side
FC L'Assomption
FC may refer to:
Businesses, organisations, and schools
* Fergusson College, a science and arts college in Pune, India
* Finncomm Airlines (IATA code)
* FranklinCovey company, NYSE stock symbol FC
* Frontier Corps, a paramilitary force in Pakis ...
of the
Première Ligue de soccer du Québec
The Première ligue de soccer du Québec (PLSQ) is a semi-professional soccer league created in 2012. The Quebec Soccer Federation operates both men's and women's divisions at the pro-am tier of the Canadian soccer league system. The league is p ...
for the 2013 season.
International
Sebrango was a regular with the
Cuban
Cuban may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean
* Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent
** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof
* Cuban citizen, a perso ...
national team between 1996 and 1998, and played 23 games, scoring 13 goals
prior to immigrating to Canada. He represented his country in 10
FIFA World Cup qualification matches (4 goals).
His final international was a February
1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup
The 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the fourth edition of the Gold Cup, the soccer championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF).
The tournament was once again held in the United States, in Los Angeles, Miami, and Oakla ...
match against
Costa Rica.
Personal
Following his departure from Cuba, Sebrango became a Canadian citizen. However, he was ineligible to play for the
Canadian national team due to his prior appearances for Cuba. Sebrango completed a degree in physical education at Filial Universitaria in Sancti Spiritus, Cuba. While it has frequently been misreported by the media, Eduardo did not defect from Cuba but rather immigrated to Canada as a permanent resident. He remains proud of his country and heritage and returns to Cuba often to be with his family.
In addition to his playing career, Sebrango is a coach for the North Shore Player Premier Program Club, coaching the U-14 Metro Selects Club.
His son, Donovan, is an
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...
player and was selected by the
Detroit Red Wings 63rd overall, in the
2020 NHL Entry Draft
The 2020 NHL Entry Draft was the 58th NHL Entry Draft, held from October 6–7, 2020. The draft was originally scheduled for June 26–27, 2020, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, but was postponed on March 25, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pan ...
.
Honours
Rochester Rhinos
*
USL First Division
The USL First Division (usually referred to as USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States and Canada from 2005 to 2010.
During its existence, it formed the second tier of soccer in the United States soccer league system ...
Championship (1):
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
Montreal Impact
*
USL First Division
The USL First Division (usually referred to as USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States and Canada from 2005 to 2010.
During its existence, it formed the second tier of soccer in the United States soccer league system ...
Championship (2):
2004,
2009
*
USL First Division
The USL First Division (usually referred to as USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States and Canada from 2005 to 2010.
During its existence, it formed the second tier of soccer in the United States soccer league system ...
Commissioner's Cup (1):
2005
*
Voyageurs Cup
The Voyageurs Cup (french: Coupe des Voyageurs) is the domestic trophy for professional soccer in Canada, awarded to the best men's and women's clubs in the country.
The Cup was conceived and commissioned by fans of the Canada men's national ...
(4): 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
Vancouver Whitecaps
*
USL First Division
The USL First Division (usually referred to as USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States and Canada from 2005 to 2010.
During its existence, it formed the second tier of soccer in the United States soccer league system ...
Championship (2):
2006,
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
Individual
*Canadian Championship Golden Boot:
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
(co-winner)
Career stats
# Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (American Based Clubs) - Nutrilite Canadian Cup (Canadian Based Clubs)
# CONCACAF Champions League
References
External links
North Shore Player Premier Program
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sebrango, Eduardo
1973 births
Living people
Association football forwards
Canadian people of Cuban descent
Cuban footballers
Cuba international footballers
1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup players
Cuban emigrants to Canada
Cuban expatriate footballers
Cuban expatriate sportspeople in Canada
Cuban expatriate sportspeople in the United States
Expatriate soccer players in Canada
Expatriate soccer players in the United States
FC Sancti Spíritus players
Hershey Wildcats players
Major League Soccer players
Montreal Impact (1992–2011) players
CF Montréal players
Naturalized citizens of Canada
North American Soccer League players
People from Sancti Spíritus
Première ligue de soccer du Québec players
Rochester New York FC players
USL First Division players
USSF Division 2 Professional League players
A-League (1995–2004) players
Vancouver Whitecaps (1986–2010) players
FC L'Assomption players