ANAHEIM, Calif. - As a child in Cuba, Chivas USA forward Maykel Galindo had no aspirations of visiting Disneyland.
So while he soaked in his first-ever trip to the Happiest Place on Earth, Galindo could not help but feel the excitement only Disneyland can give.
"It's incredible. I'm impressed by the amount of things there are here inside," Galindo said. "I feel like a child. I feel like I'm three years old."
Galindo and the rest of Chivas USA visited Disneyland on Monday to help celebrate the park's Year of a Million Dreams. As part of the park's effort to make dreams of all kinds come true, Chivas USA paid a visit to Disneyland to help youngsters in a soccer skills demonstration in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle and took a cavalcade down Main Street USA.
From the club's director of football, Dennis te Kloese, and head coach Preki to standouts Jonathan Bornstein and Claudio Suarez, the entire squad participated in Monday's events.
"It's cool to be out here and be part of this whole Disney production thing," Chivas USA midfielder Jesse Marsch said. "There are some kids out here that come to watch us play. I saw kids either look in awe that they were seeing Mickey Mouse or look in awe that they were seeing Claudio. It's about the same off look from both."
Marsch was in some ways the team's de facto voice. During the soccer skills demonstration, Marsch wore a microphone and gave instructions to the youngsters. Not one to remain quiet, Marsch's performance was nevertheless a bit more subdued than expected, at least to his teammates.
"The guys were making fun of me. They said that they had never heard me so quiet. They thought I was nervous," Marsch said. "It was fun. I like going out and doing that kind of stuff and interacting with kids."
For veteran forward Ante Razov, the trip was special on several levels. To be involved with a place such as Disneyland is a unique opportunity to collaborate with a non-soccer entity recognizable all over the world.
"It's pretty cool to come out here. They receive us really well with the whole cast and everything," Razov said. "To see the kids' faces, everybody gets excited. I think everyone was more excited to see Mickey than us but it's pretty cool to get down in the parade."
For the parade, which took the club slowly through the park's main strip, the club was divided into three sections. Leading the group were youngsters including John Cunliffe, David Arvizu and Rodrigo Lopez who walked behind a sign proclaiming "Disneyland Welcomes Chivas USA! Bienvenidos!"
Razov rode in a fire company car - the Disneyland Fire Dept. Engine No. 1 - along with a select group of veterans and coaches behind the walkers. Sharing the car ride was Marsch, Suarez, Amado Guevara, Preki and goalkeeper coach Zak Abdel.
Behind them was the rest of the team as they made their way to the front on a two-level bus with players and coaches waving to onlookers while wearing large white Mickey Mouse gloves.
Taking a trip to Disneyland was exciting for those members of Chivas USA who have children and families, as well as for the bachelors, Razov said.
"Certainly for the guys who have young kids, today's going to be a long day for them. It's a good thing they have their runners on so they can chase their kids all day," Razov said. "I would hope the younger guys get excited about things like this because not every team gets to do this."
While the aim of Disneyland's Year of a Million Dreams is seemingly children, one child-at-heart's dream was realized. Born and raised in Cuba, Galindo was as far away from Disneyland as possible. But Disney's reach extends well into Cuba.
"People talk about it a lot. When children watch television, they see Mickey Mouse and Pluto and all the other characters often," Galindo said. "They would all like to come here but they don't have that opportunity."
In 2005, Galindo defected from Cuba. He left the Cuban national team during the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup while in Seattle. He sought and received political asylum and spent time with the United Soccer League's Seattle Sounders before joining Chivas USA earlier this year.
Galindo scored two goals against Real Salt Lake on April 21 but his grin seemed livelier after soaking in the atmosphere on Monday.
"Look at me," Galindo said. "I'm 25 years old. I have the chance to go to Disneyland for the first time. I'm acting like a three-year-old. I feel like a three-year-old."
Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
