RENO, Nev. – Reno 1868 FC made history on Thursday as it acquired Cuban forward Luis Javier Paradela Diaz on loan from Guatemalan club Universidad San Carlos. Born in Cuba and is a current Cuban citizen, Paradela becomes the first Cuban athlete to sign in the United States for a professional sports franchise on a P-1A athlete visa.

A P-1A Athlete classification applies to a player coming temporarily to the United States solely for the purpose of performing at a specific athletic competition as:

An individual athlete at an internationally recognized level of performance;

Part of a group or team at an internationally recognized level of performance;

A professional athlete; or

An athlete or coach, as part of a team or franchise that is located in the United States and a member of a foreign league or association.

Based on current available information, Paradela is the only Cuban athlete in the United States who is actively in consideration to represent Cuba for soccer in men’s national team selection.

“With our partners at the San Jose Earthquakes, we’ve sought to identify the best talent worldwide for Reno 1868 FC. Huge credit to our Operations Manager, Robert Ritchie, and our legal partners at Pabian Law for shepherding Luis through this unique process,” said Reno 1868 FC president Eric Edelstein. “We are happy to have Luis and look forward to him being a part of our club.”