Omar Alejandro Gonzalez (born October 11, 1988) is an American professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is t ...

player who plays as a center-back for the

New England Revolution The New England Revolution is an American professional soccer club based in the Greater Boston area that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), in the Eastern Conference of the league. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed ...

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 ...

. A college soccer player for the

Maryland Terrapins The Maryland Terrapins, commonly referred to as the Terps, consist of 19 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Maryland, College Park in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divi ...

, he joined 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 play ...

in the

2009 MLS SuperDraft The 2009 MLS SuperDraft took place on January 15, 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri. It was the tenth annual Major League Soccer SuperDraft. The first selection was owned by the expansion Seattle Sounders FC. Unlike previous years, the SuperDraft wa ...

, and went on to play 180 regular-season games for them, winning the

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 Conferenc ...

in 2011, 2012 and 2014. He was named the

MLS Rookie of the Year The MLS Young Player of the Year Award (known as the Rookie of the Year Award from 1996 to 2019) is an annual award given to the top player in Major League Soccer under the age of 22. The award was initially awarded to a rookie, or a player who no ...

in 2009 and the

MLS Defender of the Year 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 ...

in 2011. A full international since 2010, he represented the United States 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 righ ...

and four

CONCACAF Gold Cup The CONCACAF Gold Cup ( es, Copa de Oro de la CONCACAF, french: Coupe D'or CONCACAF) is the main association football competition of the men's national football teams governed by CONCACAF, determining the continental champion of North Ame ...

s, winning the

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

and

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a se ...

edition.

Club career

Early life and college

Gonzalez played youth soccer for the Dallas Texans Soccer Club, and played

college soccer College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It is very prominent in United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and as well as in South Africa and the Philippines. The United Kin ...

at the

University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of Mar ...

, where he won the 2008 College Cup championship, was named to the NCAA/Adidas All-American First Team and First Team All-ACC and was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore in 2007.

LA Galaxy

Gonzalez was drafted in the first round (3rd overall) of the

by the

Los Angeles 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 pla ...

. Gonzalez began a regular feature in the Galaxy lineup from the start, and scored his first professional goal on April 4, 2009, against Colorado Rapids. He was named

for helping lead the Galaxy from a last-place finish in 2008. In the

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull, Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A ...

season, Gonzalez scored a total of three goals including in the second leg of the Conference Semifinals. In January 2012, Gonzalez was loaned to

1. FC Nürnberg 1. Fußball-Club Nürnberg Verein für Leibesübungen e. V., often called 1. FC Nürnberg (, en, 1. Football Club Nuremberg) or simply Nürnberg, is a German association football club in Nuremberg, Bavaria, who currently compete in the 2. Bund ...

of the Bundesliga until mid-February. During his first training session with his new club, Gonzalez suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament to his left knee after a collision with national teammate Timothy Chandler. He immediately headed back to the U.S. to undergo surgery. In August 2013, Gonzalez became Galaxy's third

Designated Player The Designated Player Rule, nicknamed the Beckham Rule, allows Major League Soccer franchises to sign up to three players that would be considered outside their salary cap (either by offering the player higher wages or by paying a transfer fee ...

after signing a new multi-year contract, rumored to be an annual average of more than $1.5 million. Gonzalez is the first pure center back to ever earn a Designated Player contract in Major League Soccer.

Pachuca

On December 22, 2015, Gonzalez was sold to

Pachuca Pachuca (; ote, Nju̱nthe), formally known as Pachuca de Soto, is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Hidalgo. It is located in the south-central part of the state. Pachuca de Soto is also the name of the municipality of whi ...

of Liga MX, ending his seven-season stay with the Galaxy. During their press conference with a Star Wars theme, Gonzalez was unveiled as Star Wars character

Darth Vader Darth Vader is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. The character is the central antagonist of the original trilogy and, as Anakin Skywalker, is one of the main protagonists in the prequel trilogy. ''Star Wars'' creator George ...

in presentation. Gonzalez made his league debut on January 8, 2016, in a 1–1 draw against

Club Tijuana Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles de Caliente, commonly known as Tijuana, or simply as '' Xolos'', is a Mexican professional football club based in Tijuana. The club's badge is the founder's (Jorge Hank) hairless xoloitzcuintle, Hermoso. Founded o ...

Estadio Caliente The Estadio Caliente Xoloitzcuintles is a multi-use stadium in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, that is mostly used for football matches. The stadium hosts home matches for the football club Club Tijuana Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles de Cali ...

. In his debut, Gonzalez registered an assist to Franco Jara to tie the match in the 43rd minute. On February 7, 2016, Gonzalez scored his first goal for Pachuca late against

Pumas UNAM Club Universidad Nacional, A.C., commonly referred to as UNAM, is a professional football club based in Ciudad Universitaria of Mexico City, Mexico. The club competes in the Liga MX, the top division in the Mexican football league system. Foun ...

to salvage a 1–1 draw. Gonzalez won the Liga MX championship with Pachuca in his first season being a key player in the team's defense. At the start of the Apertura 2016 Gonzalez changed jersey numbers and was given the number 4 after the loan of Hugo Isaác Rodríguez ended.

Toronto FC

On June 3, 2019, it was announced that Gonzalez would join

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BMO ...

from

once the transfer market officially opened on July 9. He was signed using Targeted Allocation Money (TAM). He made his debut for Toronto on 14 July, against rivals Montreal Impact. He scored his first goal for the club on 29 September against the Chicago Fire. In December 2021, Toronto FC confirmed that Gonzalez' contract option would not be picked up for the 2022 season.

New England Revolution

On December 22, 2021, Gonzalez signed with the

through the 2023 season. Gonzalez had a difficult start to the 2022 season for his new club. Through June 1st, Gonzalez, who was primarily signed as a backup but was forced into regular service due to injuries to Henry Kessler and

Jon Bell Jonathan Bell (born August 26, 1997) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Major League Soccer club St. Louis City SC. Career New England Revolution II Bell was selected with the 38th overall pick of the 2020 ML ...

, ranked in the bottom half of the MLS for defenders in successful pressures and blocks and in the bottom 25% for tackles, interceptions, and various other passing-out-of-the-back metrics. Gonzalez’s plus-minus was second-worst amongst center backs, and his plus-minus net was the worst amongst center backs at -1.08, according to stats from Football Reference. On April 9th Miami's Bryce Duke beat Gonzalez to cross to striker Leonardo Campana, who beat

Brad Knighton Bradley Burton Knighton (born February 6, 1985) is an American former professional soccer player. College and amateur soccer Knighton played four years of college soccer at UNC-Wilmington as well as for Indiana Invaders in the USL Premier Deve ...

from close range to give Miami a 3–2 lead in the 88th minute. On May 7, 2022 New England surrendered an 89th minute equalizer to

Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as on ...

after Gonzalez lost his mark on Crew winger

Erik Hurtado Erik Hurtado (born November 15, 1990) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Major League Soccer club Columbus Crew. Club career Born in Fredericksburg, Virginia, Hurtado moved with his mother to her hometown of ...

, who steered the ball into the net at point-blank range past Matt Turner. On May 28th, 2022, Gonzalez' poor clearance landed at the feet of

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''U ...

forward Mikael Uhre who equalized in the 77th minute, nullifying Gustavo Bou's 75th minute goal. Ultimately the match ended 1–1.

International career

On August 10, 2010, Gonzalez made his debut for the United States' first team in a friendly against Brazil. On March 26, 2013, Gonzalez was given the start in central defense in the United States' 0–0 draw in a World Cup qualifier against

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Estadio Azteca Estadio Azteca () is a multi-purpose stadium located in Mexico City. It is the official home of football clubs Club América and Cruz Azul as well as the Mexico national football team. The stadium sits at an altitude of above sea level. With ...

in Mexico City. According to Jeff Carlisle of

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The co ...

, Gonzalez "was the man of the match by a clear margin". Gonzalez was included on Jurgen Klinsmann's 23-man roster for the

2014 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 righ ...

, Gonzalez started in the final group match against Germany, and the round of 16 match versus Belgium. On October 10, 2017, Gonzalez scored an

own goal An own goal, also called a self goal, is where a player performs actions that result in them or their team scoring a goal on themselves, often resulting in a point for the opposing team, such as when a football player kicks a ball into their own ...

in the final game of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers against

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of Gr ...

which resulted in a 2–1 loss which prevented the United States from qualifying for the

2018 World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded the hosting righ ...

Personal life

Born in the United States to Mexican parents, Gonzalez holds a U.S. and Mexican

citizenship Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection". Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...

Career statistics

Club

International

:''As of match played June 30, 2019. Scores and results list the United States's goal tally first.'' , - , 1. , , July 18, 2015 , ,

M&T Bank Stadium M&T Bank Stadium is a multi-purpose football stadium located in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the home of the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). The stadium is immediately adjacent to Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the home of the ...

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

, United States , , , , , , , ,

2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 13th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup competition and the 23rd CONCACAF regional championship overall in the organization's fifty-four years of existence. It was held in the United States, with two matches bein ...

, , , - , 2. , , July 12, 2017 , ,

Raymond James Stadium Raymond James Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Tampa, Florida that opened in 1998 and is home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL) and the University of South Florida (USF) Bulls college football program. The s ...

Tampa Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough Count ...

, United States , , , , , , , , rowspan="2",

2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 14th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the biennial international men's soccer championship of the North, Central American and Caribbean region organized by CONCACAF, and 24th CONCACAF regional championship ov ...

, , , - , 3. , , July 19, 2017 , ,

Lincoln Financial Field Lincoln Financial Field is an American football stadium located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It serves as the home stadium of the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL) and the Temple Owls football team of Temple University. ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

, United States , , , , , , , ,

Honors

University of Maryland *

NCAA Men's Division I Soccer Championship The NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament, sometimes known as the College Cup, is an American intercollegiate soccer tournament conducted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and determines the Division I men's national champi ...

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

LA Galaxy *

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 celebrates ...

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 gath ...

, 2014 *

Supporters' Shield The Supporters' Shield is an annual award given to the Major League Soccer team with the best regular season record, as determined by the MLS points system. The Supporters' Shield has been annually awarded at the MLS Supporters' Summit since 19 ...

Pachuca * Liga MX: Clausura 2016 *

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 ...

: 2016–17 United States *

Individual *

: 2009 *

: 2011 *

MLS Best XI The MLS Best XI is an annual acknowledgment of the best eleven players in Major League Soccer. Winners *Players in bold were awarded the Landon Donovan MVP Award for that season. Most appearances by a player The following players have appeared i ...

: 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014 *

Best XI:

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzalez, Omar 1988 births Living people Hispanic and Latino American sportspeople American sportspeople of Mexican descent American soccer players American expatriate soccer players Soccer players from Dallas LA Galaxy players 1. FC Nürnberg players C.F. Pachuca players Atlas F.C. footballers Toronto FC players Maryland Terrapins men's soccer players Footballers at the 2007 Pan American Games LA Galaxy draft picks Major League Soccer players Major League Soccer All-Stars Designated Players (MLS) Liga MX players Expatriate footballers in Germany Expatriate footballers in Mexico American expatriate sportspeople in Germany American expatriate sportspeople in Mexico NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament Most Outstanding Player winners United States men's youth international soccer players United States men's international soccer players 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2014 FIFA World Cup players 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup players CONCACAF Gold Cup-winning players Association football defenders All-American men's college soccer players 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup players Pan American Games competitors for the United States