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Gonzalez ‘feeling great’ after overcoming injury

Omar Gonzalez

Photo by ISIPhotos.com

By RYAN TOLMICH

Despite injuring his knee just weeks before the start of pre-World Cup camp, Omar Gonzalez is “feeling great.”

The 25-year-old defender injured his left knee earlier this month when the LA Galaxy took on the Colorado Rapids, giving plenty of people a reason to worry about his World Cup status. Despite being limited during the first few days of the U.S. Men’s National Team’s training camp at Stanford University, Gonzalez is raring to go ahead of next month’s World Cup.

“I’m feeling great,” Gonzalez said. “I’m involved in all of the training now and I’m very happy about that. It was a bit frustrating being on the sideline for the first couple of days but, now that I’m back, I’m happy to be working hard with the guys. Practices have been really intense and fun.”

Gonzalez will now be tasked with getting back to playing at the highest level while working to get his fitness back.

“Coming into camp with this injury, I felt like I needed to work harder than most of the guys, but also be smart and not do anything to hurt myself in that process,” Gonzalez explained. “I worked closely with all of the doctors, with all of the coaching staff here to make sure that we did things the right way. I happened to be back a couple of days before expected, so that’s great.

“I think I was being pushed pretty hard,” Gonzalez added. “I felt like before I got injured, I was probably the fittest I had been in a really long time and I was in a very good place. This injury happened and kind of set me back a couple of days, but I’m feeling great right now. My focus right now is doing everything in my power to make my teammates better and get them ready for the World Cup and just enjoying every single day here.”

USMNT head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has now urged Gonzalez to get back to the level he was at last summer when he appeared to have seized the role as starting centerback.

“I definitely took it as a challenge and it’s also to be expected,” Gonzalez said. “We were in the beginning of our season and we were just starting to get going and I knew full well that in a couple more games, I’d be back to where I was during the summer. You want to be at your best during the summer time and that’s where I’m at now.”

Comments

  1. Omar must know he is NOT a good player… if he doesnt know, we must bring it to his attention. He needs to realize that he needs to stop wasting time in social media… (who wants to know what ice scream parlor he used to visit as a 12yo boy?).

    Klinsmann has mentioned that US players must be professional on and off the field… Omar’s most recent tweet was asking followers what kind of hairdo he should get, he posted some BS pics….and now he’s giving interviews… hmm.. He needs to be breaking tape, talking to coaches, watching football games on tv, etc..

    I’ve never seen a footballer more unprofessional than Omar…. I’d cut this big klutz if he were to post so much as one sentence on any social media website…

    Reply
    • I guess you’ve never seen Cameron and Shea series of singing along to pop songs. Jozy’s recent twitter fights that got him into some trouble. The whole team is on twitter all the outside of maybe Bradley. ASN does a weekly round up of all of them.

      Reply
  2. You’re trying to tell me that US Soccer is “controlling” Klinsi because Bayern/Germany asked for that in exchange for us getting Green?

    I don’t even know how to address the absurdity…and you mention Klinsi and his son are not happy. So are you insinuating that cutting Donovan was a decision made by someone else (Germany?)? Why would cutting Donovan play into this absurd deal?

    This whole thing is absurd. How Expat was able to predict it I’m not sure. Because its absurd.

    Reply
    • Of course, although I wouldn’t say it was absurd, but that is indeed what expat did. He said all this months ago. And it happened just like he said it would. Before Julian Green declared he said Germany and the U.S. made a deal. Julian would play for the U.S. Nat team and also for Bayern. In return U.S. Soccer had to do something in return.

      Even then I thought it was crazy, but it all happened just like expat said it would. When Vasquez was sacked I never doubted him again.

      Reply
      • But you have answered nothing.

        1) How does expat know these things?
        2) Who isn’t that gains in this deal from coaches being fired and Donovan being dropped?

      • 3) What benefit is Bayern getting from making strange deals to send a potential German player to America? Certainly can’t win them fans or good will.

      • First, it has nothing to do with Donovan.
        Second. Expat said it was a marketing decision by Bayern and the Bundesliga to move into the American market. To have a world class player from Bayern who also plays for the U.S. It makes sense to me. Third, I think expat lives in Munich, that’s what he said.Forth, I am Charles, not expat.

      • It hard to keep up with all his names, i wish he would just go as Expat, it’s the internet who cares if someone says something mean to you. As crazy as some of these moves have been I have started to kind of buy into it. I mean Chandler comes back into the team out of no where? Brooks looks completely lost on the field in Ukraine and he is in the 23?

      • Vasquez had been with Klinsmann for what, nearly a decade? Gets fired a couple months before the world cup. After the team wins the Hex, Gold Cup and has its best winning streak the year before, Something is going on behind the scenes.

      • This is absolutely ridiculous. Here’s a crazy theory for you, Klinsmann picks the best players available for his team, not caring about where they come from. Besides, Bob Bradley was the one who convinced Jones and Chandler to come over here, and Julian Green has been on radar since the day he was born in America and signed by Bayern. A good marketing strategy for Bayern to have green play here? Here’s a crazy idea, if that’s the case just loan him to MLS, or even better, buy into an MLS team like Man City. And if the Bundesliga wants more American recognition then they would schedule more friendlies with MLS teams in America, and hash out an American TV deal so we could see their games. And to top it off, Klinsmann had a rough go with Bayern and Germany when he coached there according to Lahm, so why would let them decide how he was a team on a different continent, that outside of being in the same group this year, have virtually no direct competition with each other?

  3. I know, I know, I said I wouldn’t comment again until after the friendlies but I can’t resist. I hope I can refrain from commenting until then.

    People, don’t you remember a single thing I said? In Feb. 2014 the deal was struck. As a part of that deal Klinsi, (and U.S. Soccer), was told what he was to do. It was done, Julian declared, Vasquez was sacked and we are where we are today. Of course Klnisi is not happy, he doesn’t like to be told what to do. He has always been more than an egotist but he is no fool. So he is doing what he is being told to do. He doesn’t like it, neither does his son.

    But, and this is the most important thing, it is great for U.S. Soccer. Also, when I left the threads here so did The Garrincha. The person posting under that name today is an impostor.

    Best Regards, Expat4455

    Reply
      • That was months agp 57. expat predicted Julian Green would declare and said it was a deal made by Bayern, the Bundesliga, and Julian Green on one hand and U.S.Soccer on the other. He also said that Germany, in giving Julian to the usmnt had to have some assurances that Klinsmann would be put under control, because, as expat said, Bayern knew how bad Klinsmann and Vasquez were as coaches.

        When expat did this he was attacked like crazy here, so he left. But everything he said became true. In fact, you can not go a day here without someone talking about expat.

      • Hi stanson. I swear, I am trying to stay away. But I also tried to quit drinking and smoking more times than I can say.

      • To further clarify, Charles=Expat=Dan Brown.

        Dan Brown is of course an alias used as obviously… if they knew his real name, he’d be pushing up daisies.

      • What a conspiracy theory! There are so many made-up stories about Klinsmann in circulation – so hey, why not one more. 😀

        Everyone knows that Green stays in best contact with his father who so heavily wished his son to play for USA and could have had an influence on Julian.
        And yes, this could also be an advantage for Bayern, to open up the USA market.

    • Expat4455 must be illumaniti. Lololol

      On the reals though.. youre absurd.

      Also why exactly cant you post? Is the CIA watching you? Ridiculous.

      Reply
    • The level of hysteria has reached epic proportions. Awesome!

      That is some masterful cloak and dagger %$#@ that only a genius, paranoid, delusional mind could concoct. I freaking love it. I’m cracking a beer, please keep it coming.

      Reply
  4. Isn’t Gonzalez a little too old if he thinks he can get a big European check, he should have to gone to Europe in his early 20s. Don’t get me wrong, he’s not old but big teams won’t pick him up that easy and he’s lucky if a middle table team gets him and starts him.
    Only if MLS salary cap was better and Gonzalez wouldn’t be a DP in galaxy. Keane is reasonable, Landon gets homesick and will stay as a galaxy forever, but Gonzalez a DP?
    Galaxy needs to open their eyes if not they will become another red bull, weird dps in a huge market.
    Imagine what Miami,Nycfc, will be with their dps. Toronto and Seattle are learning and hopefully sooner than later all teams will follow. For example, if robinho and kaka come to Orlando, then who wouldn’t come to Miami and nycfc.

    Reply
    • I am pretty sure the LAG gave him the DP as a last resort. The Galaxy’s record without Omar compared to with him is night and day and they really had no choice. You are right that Europe isn’t going to fight over him but Mexico might be a real option. Omar has proven himself capable of handling whatever El Tri can throw at him so somebody down their may be willing to open their wallets.

      Reply
      • LigaMX does pay way more and pays DP money like nothing and every owner is loaded in Mexico, except like for 4 teams but they still got good money. But what mexico doesn’t have is safety, top charter schools, and reasonable top notch quality of life. Common sense, you will have a mansion and live in a gated community mexico but if I was Gonzalez I would rather live Americas quality of life than mexicos.
        However, as more South Americans learn about MLS and learn English, they will go for MLS instead of Mexico and will take USAs quality of life over mexicos.
        Cities in Mexico with ligaMX with good quality of life= Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Tijuanas coast, pachuca weather, ( Chiapas, Morelia, Puebla, querretaro, Leon, all spaniard colonial cities)
        Mexico is freaking cheap but they don’t after nba, mlb, nfl and thanksgiving, American Christmas, Halloween, labor and Memorial Day and the famous 4 of July with fireworks. It all depends what the player wants for his family.

      • wasn’t he humiliated by De Nigris last year in the CCL? he also looked terrible against Tijuana.

  5. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…. If Omar plays/starts, we are in DEEP trouble.

    As a Galaxy fan that has watched him countless times, he does not have the speed of thought for international play. I don’t profess to have all the answers, but I do spout: ABO – Anyone But Omar.

    Whether it’s this:

    Beasley-Besler-Cameron-F.Johnson

    or this:

    F.Johnson-Besler-Cameron-Chandler

    or this:

    F.Johnson-Brooks-Besler-Cameron

    ABO

    Reply
    • No, you are a Eurosnob, not a Galaxy fan.

      Galaxy fans don’t forget the role he played in titles. Was better than Cameron even when Cameron was transferred.

      You don’t watch MLS

      Reply
      • You think Howard has “lost a step”. He is a keeper Marco, he doesn’t need run 6-9 km per game, and the last time I checked he had a great season.

        What was my point thought, is that Tim Howard will have an important say in who the other 10 are in front of him. And I am happy that he is there, for both his talent and his leadership.

  6. If you get a chance, pick up the most recent issue of Men’s Journal (been a subscriber for years). Their write up about OG is downright hilarious. They make him sound like Marcelo or something. and I’m a LAG fan (and hate Marcelo)….

    Reply
  7. He’d better be feeling great. We have very little experienced cover back there and our defense is looking awefully green.

    Reply
  8. It seemed that even without the injury OG was losing his spot as a starter. Cameron’s hints, and Chandler’s inclusion in the squad make that look even more likely. I just wonder who is next in line between OG and Brooks?

    Reply
    • I think OG is going to be the starter if healthy because I can’t imagine messing with the back line so close to the WC especially when it involves somebody that hasn’t played the position in a long time. If JK was worried about OG he probably would not have cut Goodson.

      Reply
    • Maybe he’s losing his spot because JK has finally realized he stinks? In fact, I dont even know why he’s on this roster at all.

      Reply

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