Óscar Boniek García Ramírez (born 4 September 1984) is a Honduran former professional Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder. Before moving to the United States, García had a successful career in Honduras with C.D. Olimpia, Olimpia and C.D. Marathón, Marathón, winning eight league titles. He earned over 130 caps for the Honduras national football team, Honduras national team and is the fourth most capped player in the country's history and has the fourth most appearances in Houston Dynamo records and statistics, Houston Dynamo history.

Club career

García made his senior debut on August 10, 2003 with Real Patepluma, losing 4–1 to Atlético Olanchano. In 2004, he joined C.D. Olimpia, Olimpia of Honduras. He also played for Club Deportivo Marathón, Marathón of Honduras. He also went for a 15-day trial with French club Paris Saint Germain and played two friendly games with the team that toured Portugal to play against Vitória Guimarães and S.L. Benfica, Benfica. During August 2009, it was announced that he would travel to Wigan Athletic F.C., Wigan Athletic, who were in England's Premier League at the time, in order to sign a three-year contract with the club, along with fellow Honduran, Roger Rojas (footballer, born 1990), 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 FC, Houston Dynamo to become their 2nd ever Designated Player. He made his Dynamo debut on June 30 in a 2–0 win over the Philadelphia Union. On July 15, 2012, he scored his first goal in a Dynamo jersey and in Major League Soccer against D.C. United 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, 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 2012, MLS Cup in 2012, where the Dynamo would fall to the LA Galaxy 3–1. On October 27, 2013, García scored in a 2–1 win over D.C. United, DC United in a game that clinched the Dynamo's spot in the 2013 MLS Cup Playoffs. He scored again on October 31 in a 3–0 win over the Montreal Impact (MLS), 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, 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 Wílmer Cabrera, Wilmer Cabrera. 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 U.S. Open Cup, US Open Cup, 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, 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 in a Champions League match. He picked up his first assist on 18 May in a 2–1 win over D.C. United. 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, COVID-19 Pandemic. 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 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 (MLS), 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 agent, free agency. 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 national football team, Honduras in a July 2005 friendly match against Canada men's national soccer team, Canada and has played at the 2007 UNCAF Nations Cup, 2007, 2009 UNCAF Nations Cup, 2009, and 2011 UNCAF Nations Cups as well as at the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup, 2005, 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup, 2007, and 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cups. García helped Honduras win the 2011 Copa Centroamericana finish second at the 2013 Copa Centroamericana. He was also a non-playing squad member at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. He played in all three Group E matches for Honduras at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil including against France national football team, France 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 national football team, Venezuela. 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 national football team, Guatemala on 15 November 2020, after three years of absence.

Personal life

He was given the middle name ''Boniek'' in honour of Zbigniew Boniek, the famous Polish international footballer. García's father was a professional footballer for Club Deportivo Olimpia, 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 Honduras. First inspired by former Honduras national football team, 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 area throughout the year. Following Hurricane Eta hitting Honduras in 2020, he and fellow Honduran international footballers worked to raise money for those affected by the storm. García holds a Permanent residence (United States), 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 (8): 2004–05 Honduran Liga Nacional, 2004–05 C, 2005–06 Honduran Liga Nacional, 2005–06 A, 2005–06 Honduran Liga Nacional, 2005–06 C, 2007–08 Honduran Liga Nacional, 2007–08 C, 2008–09 Clausura Honduran Liga Nacional, 2008–09 C, 2009–10 Honduran Liga Nacional, 2009–10 C, 2011–12 Honduran Liga Nacional, 2011–12 A, 2011–12 Honduran Liga Nacional, 2011–12 C Houston Dynamo * U.S. Open Cup, US Open Cup (1): 2018 U.S. Open Cup, 2018 *Eastern Conference (MLS), MLS Eastern Conference (1): 2012 Major League Soccer season, 2012 Honduras * Copa Centroamericana (1): 2011 Copa Centroamericana, 2011 Individual * Dynamo Newcomer of the Year: 2012 Houston Dynamo season, 2012 *Dynamo Player's Player of the Year: 2012 Houston Dynamo season, 2012 * MLS Latin Player of the Year (Latino del Año): 2012 Major League Soccer season, 2012 * Dynamo Goal of the Year: 2014 Houston Dynamo season, 2014

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