Omar Gonzales born in Dallas 6'5'' defender ?

no... Ive seen him play, hes bad, really bad.

 

I cannot tell if you're being serious or being sarcastic.

I think Omar could be in the pool and be called up for a friendly against a minnow team in the future.

 

Could he? Yes.

Will he? Dunno. Only has this one year of pro experience.

At the same time, he's the likely rookie of the year and has helped LA's defense DRASTICALLY improve - something like a goal per game better than a year ago.

He's also 6-5.

With Gooch and Demerit both out for next month's friendlies, I won't be at all surprised if OG is called up IF the Galaxy aren't still in the playoffs. (Personally, I think they'll be one of the last four teams playing and it'll be moot.)

However, given Gonzalez' minimal pro experience, I also won't be surprised if Bradley doesn't call him up.

 

From what ive seen of him, he looks pretty good. Im not sure if he is ready for the international level now or not but with Gooch and Demerit out, i would be all for playing him in some upcoming friendlies.

 

I wanna see him in camp cupcake. I think Bradley is prolly gonna consider him if the injury situation worsens.

 

He looks promising. He will get a look I am sure.

 

He has the physique to be a replacement for Gooch.

 

He looks like a promising young CB, but he is not a realistic option for 2010. Maybe for 2014.

 

This makes him the perfect camp cupcake candidate. He'll come in, get a month of training with the team and its system (even if the players aren't our best) and the coaches can spend time evaluating him. He's not ready for 2010 at all, but he's been very good for LA and has improved as the year has progressed. He could certainly be a quality Nats player in the future and I think it would be a mistake if he didn't get a look in January.

 

I've been pretty impressed with Gonzalez this year. Logic dictates that he doesn't have the experience, but then he did step onto the pitch having zero professional experience and adapted remarkably quickly while playing every minute of every match (I think). Seems he did the same his freshman year of college.

Point being that he seems to surprise the shit out of people at every level he's been and has clearly excelled at every opportunity he's been given. He anchored the D on his college national championship squad, anchors the D on the shockingly successful Galaxy D this year...I'm not suggesting succeeding in College or MLS is anything like the World Cup, but I also hate to rule him out based on logic as he seems to defy said logic every chance he gets. I'm pulling for him to at least get an opportunity...preferably not with Mexico.

 

Right now, I'd put Boca, Marshall, Goodson, Parkhurst and Conrad ahead of him so we don't really need him on the bench. He has as high, if not a higher ceiling than any of those ahead of him that I mentioned though so you want to keep him in the program via camp cupcake and begin working him into the squad in 2011 and 2012 should he continue to develop.

 

He took a knock against San Jose in June and missed the final 28 minutes of that game. Otherwise, he's played every minute this year for LA.

Here's what jumps out at me about Gonzalez, besides his height. Last year, LA gave up 62 goals, 2.07 per game. This year, with a game to go, they've allowed 31 goals, 1.07 per. If they happen to shutout San Jose next week, they will have allowed exactly HALF as many goals this year as last.

That's an amazing improvement in LA's defense. Now, Gonzalez isn't the only change in the Galaxy defense from this year to last. But, he is the lone costant. They've had different centerbacks opposite Omar (Sanneh and Berhalter) and different right backs (Franklin, Klein and DeLaGarza), other left backs (Dunivant, Lewis and DLG), two goalies (Ricketts and Saunders) and myriad holding mids (Miglioranzi, Kovalenko, Birchall, Beckham, Tudela) but the one constant is Gonzalez. He's certainly not the only reason LA is so much better defensively and he may not be the most important reason they're so much better but he's definitely the biggest constant.

And consistency is something needed at the national team level.

He didn't miss a start in three seasons at Maryland - 69 games, including all 22 as a freshman.

Agreed.

I'm a huge fan of his but I think he's a longshot for the World Cup. But if LA is eliminated in the first round of the playoffs and he's available for the November friendlies, heck yeah, give him a look, especially if Columbus advances and Chad Marshall isn't available.

Can't teach his size and as noted, he's a real quick study who seems to adapt well to an upgrade in competition.

That said, I expect the Galaxy to advance in the first round.

 

Next freindly isn't till the 18th so unless LA makes the finals it shouldn't be an issue. If the do make the finals he has at least four days to make it back.

 

6'5" guys are a dime a dozen. How is his agility? How are his passing skills and his composure?

 

i say call him in for the Nov friendlies & camp cupcake and see if he can play...right now we have a strong possibility of missing DeMerit and Onyewu for the World Cup, Bocanegra will be there (despite a drastic drop in form) but he needs back up, Marshall is better but he's always hurt, Califf and Parkhurst are off the map now in Denmark, Conrad is good but old (although i don't think too old), Goodson is alright, Spector will most likely only be used on the flanks, Edu is hurt so it's hard to imagine him at CB, and questiones remain about Orozco.

Another possibility is Geoff Cameron.

 

The US plans on playing a friendly in Europe on Saturday, Nov. 14th (also a FIFA national team day). That's the same weekend as the MLS conference finals.

Any team in the conference finals won't be sending players to the November friendlies. Book it.

As for playing in the friendlies and MLS Cup, do you really think MLS coaches would want some of their better players playing in games in Europe on a Wednesday, then taking a trans-Atlantic flight and flying to Seattle on a Thursday and only having two days to recover and train before the biggest game of the year for the club? For a friendly?

First of all, Bradley won't do that to the MLS coaches. He is one of them, afterall. Plus, doing so would be a huge dick move. And, the coaches would HOWL and the last thing the USSF wants is to seem like they're undercutting MLS Cup.

Bradley will only have MLS players available to him for the November friendlies who play for teams that aren't in the Final Four. So far, he has the talented rosters of the Red Bulls, Earthquakes and Wizards at his beck and call!

 

Those four are available for camp cupcake, right? As well as Cameron..........

If this was any other non-WC year......I think Omar would definitely be at camp cupcake. I just see mostly these guys who've already been a part of the team this cycle, being given the chance to make the squad. So I don't know.............tough call. I guess it depends how many centerbacks Bob wants at that camp.

 

I don't think many questions remain about Orozco this cycle. From my viewpoint, he's looked pretty mediocre at San Luis. I wouldn't mind if Bob called him up for a friendly to take a look at him again, but I think he's pretty far down on the centerback chart.

We won't see Edu play in the center of defense for the Nats. That was a one-time move of desperation for the Olympic team due to injuries.

I'm with you on Cameron. I think he's more likely to get the call to camp cupcake than Gonzalez. But I like both of them.

 

I looooove this kid. If I was the kind of guy who participated in those "pick your 2014 lineup" threads, I'd have him paired in the middle with Onyewu.

But man, it's a looooong way from winning an NCAA championship in Nov. 2008 to going to SAfrica in June 2010. I just don't see it.

 

Orozco is average at best. Maybe he improves over time for next cycle. Looks like another clear BS case of something I don't see or know that much about has to be better than what we have.

I'm sure it's many of the same people who scream blindly for the Jemal Johnson's of the world. He'll get another look I would guess but he is what he is.

I still have zero understanding of how Rongen did not invite Gonzalez into the 2007 U20 camp, especially considering our situation. Non sensical.

I'm hoping he turns into a better version of Chad Marshall (without the injuries of course), and I don't think Chad is a bad player at all, so fingers crossed.

As for Edu? Starnger things have happened. I wouldn't count on it, but if Jay and Gooch are out...you never know. He has the brains and skillset. Of course, he has no real experience.


Note - Oh yeah. Omar for 2010. Enough already.

 

Claudio Reyna did it, Alexi Lalas did it. Of course the USA is more competitive now.