December 23, 2012
THE YEAR’S TOP STORIES - #9
Omar Gonzalez injury

With Omar Gonzalez sidelined by an offseason injury, the LA Galaxy struggled through the first half of the MLS season. Linda Cuttone/Sports Vue Images

LA Galaxy defender Omar Gonzalez’s offseason loan to FC Nurnburg of the German Bundesliga lasted less than a day. The 2011 MLS Defender of the Year tore the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in his left knee minutes into his first training session, a setback that ranks tenth on the LA Soccer News list of the Top Ten local stories of 2012.

Gonzalez suffered the injury on January 4, returned to the U.S. a few days later, underwent surgery on January 13, and was expected to miss 7-9 months of action. He returned to light training in May, resumed full training in mid-June and came off the disabled list on July 3.

Gonzalez’s return coincided with a significant reversal of fortune for the defending MLS Cup champions, who struggled to a 6-9-2 record through the first four months of the season, but mounted a 10-3-4 run from July – October to make it to the playoffs as fourth seeds in the MLS West. They went on to defeat the Houston Dynamo 3-1 for their second straight MLS Cup. Gonzalez headed home the 1-1 equalizer in the championship game.