Óscar Boniek García Ramírez (born 4 September 1984) is a Honduran former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who played as a

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

. Before moving to the United States, García had a successful career in Honduras with Olimpia and Marathón, winning eight league titles. He earned over 130 caps for the Honduras national team and is the fourth most capped player in the country's history and has the fourth most appearances in Houston Dynamo history.

Club career

García made his senior debut on August 10, 2003 with Real Patepluma, losing 4–1 to

Atlético Olanchano Atlético Olanchano was a Honduran football club based in Catacamas, Olancho. The club last played in the Honduran second division. History Campamento Atlético Olanchano was founded as ''Campamento'' in 1974 and originally played their game ...

. In 2004, he joined Olimpia of Honduras. He also played for Marathón of Honduras. He also went for a 15-day trial with French club

Paris Saint Germain Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (), commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris, Paris SG or simply PSG is a professional football club based in Paris, France. They compete in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. As Fr ...

and played two friendly games with the team that toured Portugal to play against

Vitória Guimarães Vitoria or Vitória may refer to : People * Francisco de Vitoria (c. 1483–1546), a Spanish Renaissance theologian * Alberto Vitoria (1956–2010), Spanish footballer * Rui Vitória (born 1970), Portuguese retired footballer * Steven Vitória (b ...

and Benfica. During August 2009, it was announced that he would travel to

Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, ...

, who were in England's

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at the time, in order to sign a three-year contract with the club, along with fellow Honduran, Roger Rojas. The contract was not signed and García stayed with Olimpia. On June 7, 2012, García signed with Major League Soccer club

Houston Dynamo Houston Dynamo FC (formerly officially, but still commonly, called the Houston Dynamo) is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The Dynamo compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Establi ...

to become their 2nd ever Designated Player. He made his Dynamo debut on June 30 in a 2–0 win over the

Philadelphia Union The Philadelphia Union are an American professional soccer club based in Chester, Pennsylvania. The Union compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Founded on February 28, 2008, the club began playing in 201 ...

. On July 15, 2012, he scored his first goal in a Dynamo jersey and in

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

against

D.C. United D.C. United is a professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer, the top tier of American soccer. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Supp ...

in the 62nd minute. García's impact was immense, with the Dynamo having a +10 goal differential and a record of 9-4-6 after he joined the team. On August 30, García returned to Olimpia as the Dynamo traveled to Honduras to face his old club in the 2012-13 CONCACAF Champions League. He would play all 90 minutes as Houston earned a 1–1 draw. On November 26, 2012, García was awarded the "Newcomer of the Year" and "Player's Player of the Year" award by the team, despite playing only half of the season. García was also named the MLS Latin Player of the Year, as voted on by fans. He helped the team reach

MLS Cup The MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The game is held in November and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Conference ...

in 2012, where the Dynamo would fall to the

LA Galaxy LA Galaxy, also known as the Los Angeles Galaxy, are an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Galaxy competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), as a member of the Western Conference. The club began pl ...

3–1. On October 27, 2013, García scored in a 2–1 win over

DC United D.C. United is a professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer, the top tier of American soccer. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Su ...

in a game that clinched the Dynamo's spot in the

2013 MLS Cup Playoffs The 2013 MLS Cup Playoffs was the eighteenth post-season tournament culminating the Major League Soccer regular season. The tournament began in late October and culminated on December 7, 2013 with MLS Cup 2013, the eighteenth league championshi ...

. He scored again on October 31 in a 3–0 win over the Montreal Impact in the first game of the playoffs. In the second leg of the conference finals, García scored in the 3rd minute to give the Dynamo a 1–0 lead on aggregate. However, Sporting Kansas City would come back and win 2–1. 2014 was a mixed year for García. he got to represent Honduras at the

2014 FIFA World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...

, but the Dynamo missed out on a playoff spot by 10 points, in part because the team struggled when García missed games for international duty. However, his volley against the Chicago Fire on September 28 was named the Dynamo's Goal of the Year. The Dynamo would miss out on the playoffs in 2015 and 2016, but García helped lead them to a return in 2017 under new coach

Wilmer Cabrera Wilmer Cabrera may refer to: *Wílmer Cabrera (born 1967), Colombian footballer and manager * Wilmer Cabrera Jr. (born 2000), Colombian footballer *Wilmar Cabrera Wilmar Rubens Cabrera Sappa (born July 31, 1959, in Cerrillos, Uruguay) is a reti ...

. Although he only made 12 starts on the year, his fewest since joining the Dynamo, García was an important leader in the locker room and on the field. He signed a new contract with Houston on 11 December 2017. 2018 saw García and the Dynamo fail to qualify for the playoffs, however he would make 3 appearances in the

US Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in men's Soccer in the United States, soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing nati ...

, including a start in the final, as Houston won the tournament for the first time in club history. The win qualified them for the 2019

CONCACAF Champions League The CONCACAF Champions League, known officially as the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons, is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONCACAF. The tournament is contested by clubs from North Ameri ...

, returning to the competition for the first time since 2013. García made his first appearance of the season on 26 February, coming on as a substitute in a 2–1 win over

C.D. Guastatoya Club Deportivo Guastatoya is a Guatemalan football club based in Guastatoya, El Progreso Department. They compete in the Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala, Liga Nacional, the top tier of Guatemalan football. History The team had its origins ...

in a Champions League match. He picked up his first assist on 18 May in a 2–1 win over

. On 29 September, García made his 200th MLS appearance for the Dynamo, becoming the 4th player in club history to reach that milestone. 2019 saw a personal resurgence for García, playing the most minutes of his Dynamo career and bringing energy to the middle of the pitch. However, the Dynamo would miss out on the playoffs once again. On 20 December he signed a one-year contract to remain in Houston. García started the first 5 games of the 2020 season for the Dynamo, however he would only start 2 games the rest of the year, primarily featuring as a substitute. Garcia played in 18 games, 7 of them starts, out of a possible 23 in a shortened 2020 season due to the

COVID-19 Pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. It was another poor season for the Dynamo, missing out on the playoffs for the third straight season. His contract was initially not renewed by Houston following their 2020 season. However, a new one-year deal was agreed on 15 February 2021. On 16 April, in the opening match of the 2021 season, the Dynamo defeated the

San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional soccer team based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete as a member club of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). Originally as the San Jose Clash, the franchise ...

2–1, with García playing the full match as a centerback due to injuries to Houston's other centerbacks. He was named to the MLS Team of the Week following the game. García made 16 appearances during the 2021 season, 6 as a centerback, as Houston finished last in the Western Conference for the second consecutive season. On 15 November, Houston Dynamo announced that García will no longer continue on with the club for 2022, choosing to rescind his contract, and enter

free agency In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

. He left Houston tied for the 3rd most appearances and with the 2nd most assists in team history.

International career

García made his debut for

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...

in a July 2005

friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...

against

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and has played at the

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

, and

2011 UNCAF Nations Cup The 2011 Copa Centroamericana ( en, 2011 Central American Cup) was the eleventh edition of Copa Centroamericana (formerly known as the UNCAF Nations Cup), an international football championship for national teams affiliated with the Central Amer ...

s as well as at the

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

, and

2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 11th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup competition, and the 21st CONCACAF regional championship overall in CONCACAF's 50 years of existence. The United States was the host nation. The competition started on June ...

s. García helped Honduras win the

2011 Copa Centroamericana The 2011 Copa Centroamericana ( en, 2011 Central American Cup) was the eleventh edition of Copa Centroamericana (formerly known as the UNCAF Nations Cup), an international association football, football championship for national teams affiliated w ...

finish second at the

2013 Copa Centroamericana The 2013 Copa Centroamericana was the 12th Copa Centroamericana, the regional championship for men's national association football teams in Central America. It was organized by the ''Unión Centroamericana de Fútbol'' or UNCAF, and took place in ...

. He was also a non-playing squad member at the

2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

in South Africa. He played in all three Group E matches for Honduras at the

in Brazil including against

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

when he came on as a substitute. García earned his 100th cap for Honduras on 4 September 2015 in a 3–0 win against

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

. As of 2017, García had the 4th most caps for Honduras with 125 caps. He returned to play for the national team in a friendly match against

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

on 15 November 2020, after three years of absence.

Personal life

He was given the middle name ''Boniek'' in honour of

Zbigniew Boniek Zbigniew Boniek (; born 3 March 1956) is a Polish former footballer and manager as well as current UEFA vice-president. A former midfielder, who was also capable of playing mostly as a right winger and second striker, he is considered one of the ...

, the famous Polish international footballer. García's father was a professional footballer for Olimpia. He chose to have the name "Boniek" written across the back of his shirt while playing for Houston. He and his wife Ivania Reyes have a daughter and twin sons. Every offseason, García returns home to do charitable work in

. First inspired by former Honduran international Víctor Bernárdez, he collected toys for children dealing with cancer. He has also donated school supplies and clothes to underprivileged children in Honduras, as well as doing charitable work in the

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

area throughout the year. Following

Hurricane Eta Hurricane Eta was a deadly and erratic Saffir-Simpson scale, Category 4 hurricane that devastated parts of Central America in early November 2020. The record-tying twenty-eighth Tropical cyclone naming, named storm, thirteenth hurricane, and s ...

hitting Honduras in 2020, he and fellow Honduran international footballers worked to raise money for those affected by the storm. García holds a U.S. green card which qualifies him as a domestic player for MLS team purposes.

Coaching career

Starting in 2023 he became the Junior Varsity head coach for Lutheran South Academy.

Career statistics

Club

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year

Goals

:''Scores and results list Honduras' goal tally first.''

Honours

Olimpia *

Liga Profesional de Honduras Liga or LIGA may refer to: People * Līga (name), a Latvian female given name * Luciano Ligabue, more commonly known as Ligabue or ''Liga'', Italian rock singer-songwriter Sports * Liga ACB, men's professional basketball league in Spain * Liga ...

(8): 2004–05 C, 2005–06 A, 2005–06 C, 2007–08 C, 2008–09 C, 2009–10 C, 2011–12 A, 2011–12 C Houston Dynamo * US Open Cup (1):

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

* MLS Eastern Conference (1):

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

Honduras *

Copa Centroamericana The Copa Centroamericana (, Spanish for "Central American Cup") was the main association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ''Unión Centroamericana de Fútbol'' (UNCAF), the sport's Central Am ...

(1):

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

Individual * Dynamo Newcomer of the Year:

*Dynamo Player's Player of the Year:

* MLS Latin Player of the Year (Latino del Año):

* Dynamo Goal of the Year:

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia, Boniek 1984 births Living people Footballers from Tegucigalpa Honduran men's footballers Men's association football wingers C.D. Olimpia players C.D. Marathón players Houston Dynamo FC players Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional de Honduras players Major League Soccer players Designated Players (MLS) Honduras men's international footballers 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2010 FIFA World Cup players 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2014 FIFA World Cup players 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup players FIFA Men's Century Club Garifuna people Honduran expatriate men's footballers Honduran expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States