The Cosmos, lead by Raúl and Pelé, set out from New York on their first visit to Havana, where they will play a historic match against the island nation's national team, underscoring the new era of thawed relations between the United States and Cuba.
In December, President Barack Obama announced his intention to lift the embargo which the US imposed on Cuba in 1960 and the Cosmos have made the most of the giant strides which have been taken in this respect with a pioneering visit in the company of two stars who had never set foot on the island before.
"This is the first time I have travelled to Cuba and I'm very excited because it's a great opportunity to take part in a historic match for the New York Cosmos and also for me", declared Raúl before setting off. Pelé also expressed his excitement about making his first visit to the island.
Raúl is also acting as an ambassador for the Cosmos, the first US football club to travel to Cuba since 1978, when the Chicago Sting visited the national team. The last trip to the island by an American professional sports team was on 28th March 1999, when the Baltimore Orioles took on the local baseball side.
However, the last official match was when the US football team went to Cuba to play a CONCACAF qualifier for the South Africa World Cup.
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