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Gonzalez tears ACL at Nurnberg

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Photo by Andrew Katsampes/ISIphotos.com

What was supposed to be a winter during which Omar Gonzalez was going to take the next step in his career has turned into disaster.

The Los Angeles Galaxy centerback tore his left ACL on his first day on loan with FC Nurnberg, and he has returned to Los Angeles to undergo surgery, according to Nurnberg's official website.

Fresh off winning MLS Defender of the Year and an MLS Cup title, the 23-year-old Gonzalez was finally called into a U.S. national team camp by Jurgen Klinsmann for the first time. Before he could get started there, though, he got the opportunity to go to Nurnberg, where he was set to be on loan until Feb. 15. Instead of increasing his exposure as he enters the final year of his current contract, Gonzalez is set for an extended spell on the sidelines.

The injury was a result of a hard tackle by U.S. international Timmy Chandler, and it came in Gonzalez' first training session with the club. There is no timetable yet for how long Gonzalez will be out, but his absence leaves a gaping hole in central defense for the Galaxy. Los Angeles resumes its 2011-12 CONCACAF Champions League run on March 7 with a first-leg quarterfinal match at Toronto FC, and the Galaxy begin their MLS Cup title defense three days later at home against Real Salt Lake.

What do you think of this development?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. True, I am not a genius. One point shy, darn it…

    I am not saying there is something nefarious behind this and I don’t see how you are reading that in my comments. Unless I learn something when all the details are finally out I certainly am not hating on Chandler, who, as I already noted, I am a big fan of. I am saying I want to hear the true story all details of what happened. You are calling it a hard tackle in practice but is that what it was? Up to this point, we are not getting any details. SBI first reported it as a “crunching tackle,” then a “hard tackle,” while some German news stories said Chandler” fouled” Gonzalez. But now, two days later the English language stories say they “collided.” What in the heck does that mean? Collided? What sort of drill were they doing 30 minutes into the first practice after a 2 and 1/2 week break when they collided? Did they collide while jogging? Did Gonza have the ball at his feet? Or were boys simply being boys and were horsing around? I think we need full disclosure here. Maybe SBI, who has been a Gonzalez fan in the past, needs to contact him for an interview.

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  2. You on the other hand are shrouded in mystery… aside from the obvious facts that you have at some time done manual labour, you take snuff, you are a Freemason, you have been in China, and you have done a considerable amount of writing lately. Hard to deduce much else.

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  3. Tim Ream needs to learn to pass to his own teamates as opposed to compromising possession outside his own 18. Just how off base was Rafa Marquez when he called out Ream and the other CB on that Red bull back line for not being quality? Not much at all as Ream sucked all season. Ream needs to be a consistant staple in defense before he even sniffs the National team again. Can he pass? sure, when not under pressure. Does he have potential? Yeah…sure however there is no guarantee that he will meet it. Ive seen quite a bit of Ream and quite frankly, I see someone that is still raw however, not really improving as he moves on in years. I mean…he still has to learn how to mark on set pieces as well as defend 1v1. He is piss poor in both aspects at the national level and club level. Gale is a better ball distributor and 1v1 defender. That kid is the future CB…not Tim “the incredible traffic cone” Ream.

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  4. So Gonzo blows out his knee, and your take is to come on here and rant about Ream and take juvenile little swipes at the injured guy?

    real class act man

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  5. As soon as Ream figures out that he needs to pass the ball to the players wearing the same jersey as he does..then I thin he will have a solid career…but elite? Thats a real stretch.

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  6. Omar didnt have much speed to begin with. He is No spring chicken trying coming in at 6’5″ trying to recover from a MAJOR knee injury…Not a very promising outlook. Good luck Omar, the chips are stacked against you.

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  7. lets blame the lousy MLS and the soft training and the california beaches…Omar showed up to train with a team in mid-season…while he has been working on his tan in LA

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  8. Once again I’m going to say it, IS TIMMY CHANDLER OK??? I’m worried Timmy might have a scratch or two.

    And what is up with beheading Timmy?lol… I feel like people are bashing on Timmy for what clearly sounds like an accident. I know this is going to sound terrible, but I’m good with Jesus, so I’m going to go ahead and say it.. I rather it be Gonzo than Timmy on that ACL.. There, I said it. :(… running away from my PC like Napoleon Dynamite..

    Gonzo will be fine muchachos.

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  9. OK, tough guy.

    How many pro athletes have you been around? Ever talked to them about training habits and injuries?

    Coaches want them to practice hard, but not at the expense of injuring each other. That was my point.

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  10. BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Bolton would crush the MLS teams in a real game. Bolton is in the top flight of soccer in England. Tim Ream has interest from Arsenal as well.

    LA has nothing on Bolton.

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  11. Not sure where SBI is getting “The injury was a result of a hard tackle by U.S. international Timmy Chandler” All other accounts are saying it was a collision in practice and Gonzalez twisted his knee. Maybe SBI would like to enlighten us on who is their source.

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  12. have you seen the tackle? you don´t know what you are talking about.
    here in germany you have to be on fire in trainig, otherwise you won´t play. it´s very competitive and the players get much better. hard tackles happen all the time and nobody would argue about that.

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  13. also Tim Ream playing with stuart holden. the natural link up will begin.

    gonzalez was never the right man for the job. ever.

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  14. AND NOW the real talent in the US has a legit bid from bolton in the EPL for his services.

    Tim Ream on his way to bolton friends to play the elite.

    A real player there.

    Gonzalez can sit in rehab. lets watch a real CB play and improve!

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  15. I’m not getting that Chandler is painted in a bad light.

    still, wtf? a hard tackle that results in this after just arriving from a teammate…it straight up sucks, the whole dynamic of it.

    unfortunatley, Timmy Chamdler is in the middle of it, intentions aside. And he should feel god awful about it.

    Have you ever injured anyone before severly while playing? I have, and have suffered in kind, and it always feels god awful either way.

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  16. This is a blow that could affect Omar’s entire career. He’s out of the USMNT picture for 2012 qualifying, and there will not be any overseas interest for many years to come. Omar has been snake bitten by incredibly poor timing and cruel fate.

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  17. You obviously aren’t a genius if you think there’s some nefarious story behind this injury. I’ll shut up when all the wailing and hand wringing stops about how unfair it is and how could Timmy Chandler be so mean to actually go in hard during training. This kind of thing happens EVERYDAY. Ask George Best’s knees about it. And what is a “hard contact drill”? This isn’t the NFL. You play a World Cup Final, an international friendly, 11 v 11 in a pub league or 4 v 4 in the park, HARD TACKLES HAPPEN regardless of the level or calendar. Get over it.
    And what the hell does getting “jack’d up on the streets” have to do with ANYTHING HoBo? You’re a perfect example of the the nonsensical rants that pollute this otherwise excellent site. More interested in seeing your words in print than having anything of substance to say.

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  18. No offense Drew, but I see you watching Euro soccer over rooting for a MLS team.

    I want to see Seattle beat LA in the next round with him, rather than his back up and David was praying that LA would manage to pull a cheap probably offical aided victory 😉

    Overtraining and risking injury is a huge risk for a little extra money and a “new” experience. If the Euro countries want the Americans let them step up and get them like LA did years ago.

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