Yosniel Mesa


Yosniel Mesa Díaz is a Cuban retired football and futsal player.

Club career

Nicknamed Capi, Mesa played for his native provincial team Cienfuegos. After his defection he trained with Fort Lauderdale Strikers.

International career

Mesa played in the 2004 and 2008 FIFA Futsal World Cup tournaments representing Cuba in both.
He made his senior international debut for Cuba in a November 2010 Caribbean Cup qualification match against Grenada and has earned a total of 6 caps, scoring no goals. Later, he was involved in the 2010 Caribbean Cup tournament and made one appearance, as a substitute against Guadeloupe in the 83rd minute replacing Leonel Duarte.
He also was part of the Cuba national football team squad for the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup, playing in one match. He defected to the United States during the tournament.

Personal life

Defection to the United States

After losing to Mexico on 9 June 2011, Mesa left his Charlotte hotel at dawn through a fire escape and joined his uncle Julio who was waiting in his car outside the hotel. The pair then drove off to Julio's house in Miami.