LA Galaxy defender Omar Gonzalez, the 2011 MLS Defender of the Year, underwent successful surgery today to repair a torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in his left knee. Club doctors from the Santa Monica Orthopaedic Group performed the surgery today in Los Angeles after the 23-year-old defender was injured during a training session last week while on loan with FC Nürnberg of the German Bundesliga. He is expected to be out approximately 7-9 months, though he will begin his rehabilitation later this month.
Originally loaned to Nürnberg last week, Gonzalez suffered the injury in his first training session with the club in Turkey on Wednesday, January 4 with an MRI revealing the extent of the injury the following day. He returned to Southern California on Sunday, January 8 before being seen by the Galaxy medical staff, who confirmed the initial diagnosis of the torn ligament.
A two-time MLS Best XI selection, Gonzalez has been an integral cog in the heart of the Galaxy defense since being selected by the club in the first round of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft. In his three years with the Galaxy, Gonzalez has appeared in and started 87 games, helping lead the club to a pair of MLS Cup appearances, winning his first MLS Cup in 2011. A two-time MLS All-Star First XI selection and the Galaxy’s Defender of the Year in 2010 and 2011, Gonzalez has seen the Galaxy keep 41 clean sheets over the past three seasons, equaling or besting the club record for shutouts in a season each year while also allowing less than a goal per game in all three seasons. In addition to his defensive prowess, Gonzalez has also been an important part of LA’s success on set pieces, scoring five times in his MLS regular season career, while also adding single goals in the MLS Cup Playoffs, CONCACAF Champions League and the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, with all of those goals coming as a result of set pieces.
The LA Galaxy will open preseason ahead of the 2012 MLS season later this month. They will return to competitive action on Wednesday, March 7 when they take on Toronto FC in the first leg of their 2011/12 CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinal, which will be played at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They will open the 2012 MLS season three days later on Saturday, March 10 when they host RealSaltLake at The Home Depot Center in MLS First Kick 2012, presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods. That game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. (PT) and tickets are on sale now as part of season ticket packages as well as three and six-game plans. For more information about this game or to purchase tickets, please visit the club’s official website at www.lagalaxy.com.
