CARSON, Calif. – Omar Gonzalez enjoyed something of a fairytale existence in 2014, soaring from one high to the next – from marriage to the World Cup to a baby daughter to another MLS Cup championship – and will head into his seventh campaign with the LA Galaxy as secure in his skin as he's ever been.
The 26-year-old Texan marked his first full season as a Designated Player with his fourth selection as an MLS Defender of the Year finalist and Best XI honoree in five years and helped LA claim their third league title in four years while making a splash in Brazil with two fine performances as the Americans again reached the round of 16.
“This year, 2014, for me is the highlight of my life,” Gonzalez said. “The way it started, with me trying to make it to the roster for the World Cup team, getting married, going to the World Cup – getting that under my belt – buying a house, my daughter coming into this world. And then to cap it off by winning another MLS Cup title is just a cherry on top.
“I mean, it's been an amazing year, but I'm not going to stop working hard. It's going to be hard to top it, but we'll see if we can make it happen again.”
The apex: His marriage to Erica in March and the birth of his daughter, Isla, at the end of October. The Gonzalezes are planting real roots in Los Angeles, and his primary offseason plan was to play daddy.
“I've been lucky. I have an amazing wife, and I'll probably have to do more work [with Isla] than I've had to do,” he said. “She really took a lot of the load while I was in the playoffs, and now it's time for me to do a little more.”
Gonzalez, the 2009 MLS Rookie of the Year and 2011 MLS Defender of the Year, was a World Cup hopeful when Jurgen Klinsmann opened last January's camp in Southern California, fared well in friendlies with South Korea and Mexico to make the final list, then saw action in three games, going the distance in central defense in one-goal defeats to Germany and Belgium.
And he was the foundation of the Galaxy's league-best defense, along with fellow University of Maryland alum A.J. DeLaGarza, while scoring a career-best four goals in 22 MLS regular-season starts.
There's talk, as always, about opportunities in Europe, and Gonzalez, who spent a brief loan stint with FC Nuremberg in January 2012 before tearing an anterior cruciate ligament, admits an attraction.
“As of right now, I still have two years here [on my contract] with the Galaxy, and my focus is here, and I'll let my agent handle all of that ...,” he said. “A reason to go is I've always had a dream of testing Europe out and seeing what that's like, but it has to be the right situation. So we'll see what happens. I love it here and, as of right now, I'm with the Galaxy and my focus is fully with enjoying the time off and preparing for a solid 2015 year.”
