It's been a good three years for Omar Gonzalez.
Omar Gonzalez, 21, will join his fellow MLS All-Stars in a game against Manchester United Wednesday. Gonzalez has become one of the league's best defensemen in his second season.
After winning an NCAA championship with the University of Maryland in 2008, he was drafted by Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy in 2009. Gonzalez anchored the Galaxy defense and earned rookie of the year honors as Los Angeles reached the 2009 MLS Cup final.
Now the 21-year-old Dallas native is part of the 2010 MLS All-Star team that will face Manchester United on Wednesday.
"It was pretty crazy," Gonzalez said of his transition from college to MLS. "All of a sudden you are going against guys who are bigger and faster. The speed of play and the mental aspect of realizing the guys you are playing against was something I had to adjust to."
One of those players whom Gonzalez met in his first year was teammate David Beckham.
"I was pretty star-struck when I first saw him in the locker room," Gonzalez said. "But after that first time, we moved on and it was business."
Gonzalez has proved unflappable and consistent in his year and a half in MLS. The towering 6-5 center defender has started all 47 Galaxy games since the beginning of the 2009 season.
Gonzalez's performance has stirred up talk of his inclusion on the U.S. national team for the 2014 World Cup.
"It's flattering," Gonzalez said. "Playing for the national team is one of my goals, but I just have to keep working and stay focused on my game."
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SOURCE: USA Today
Mike Foss
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