Canadian Press and Charleston Battery

Charleston Battery: The young midfielder talked about it with close friends on Cuba national soccer team and almost tried his luck on a few occasions, only to let fear deter him. But when he saw his chance -- the night before a World Cup qualifying match in Toronto in the fall of 2012 -- there was no hesitation, he said, according to CTV. "We had to do it if we wanted to play professional soccer. We also had to do it when we were still young," Chang, 23, told The Canadian Press in a phone interview from Charleston, S.C., where he, Cooper and Cordoves play for the Charleston Battery in a lower-tier professional league and - For months, the thought of walking out on his team and fleeing to the U.S. lingered on Maikel Chang mind. He and two teammates, Odisnel Cooper and Heviel Cordoves, grabbed their passports and belongings while the rest of their group settled into their hotel rooms. They then slipped out through the fire escape and bolted down the street to avoid being spotted by their coaches. U.S. officials later confirmed the three had crossed the border in Niagara Falls, Ont. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.