Two Cuban soccer team players missing during tournament

Two players on Cuba's soccer team were lised on a roster as "not present," but team officials would not confirm whether they had defected.

Photo: Two Cuban soccer team players missing during tournament

The team is in Houston for the first round of the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer tournament. After a 5-0 loss to Honduras on Wednesday night, Cuban coach Raul Gonzalez declined to say whether Osvaldo Alonso and Lester More defected.

"I'm a football man, not a politician. I will not answer that question," he said. Gonzalez added later: "They went for the gold. I hope they don't end up with thorns."

"The ones who take another road take it because they want to take it," he said.

CONCACAF, the governing body of soccer, issued a statement before the game saying it would not comment on rumors of a Cuban defection.

Cuban athletes have defected from the communist country while in international competitions outside Cuba.

In 2005, forward Maykel Galindo defected during a Gold Cup tournament in Seattle.