Any time I see the letters A and J next to each other, I still get pissed/sad. http://www.thescore.com/mls/news/12...a-starting-a-new-chapter-a-long-way-from-home 1-on-1 with A.J. DeLaGarza: Starting a new chapter a long way from home by Armen Bedakian 5h ago On the day of the MLS SuperDraft, college athletes sit anxiously awaiting their fates amid the chatter of coaches and general managers. It's a day that changed A.J. DeLaGarza's life twice: in 2009, when he was drafted by the LA Galaxy, and eight years later, when he was unexpectedly traded to the Houston Dynamo. DeLaGarza took some time to speak with theScore about the next chapter of his career as he swaps California sun for Texas heat. A new adventure, a new home Los Angeles is where DeLaGarza grew up, plying his trade throughout his twenties for Bruce Arena's LA Galaxy. He played alongside some of the biggest stars in MLS history - David Beckham, Landon Donovan, and Steven Gerrard among them - and won three MLS Cup titles in his eight-year tenure. His departure via trade in January was neither expected nor conventional. It was among the first deals in the league whose terms were disclosed: It took $175,000 in general and targeted allocation money to pry DeLaGarza away. The news came as a surprise, and as a blow. "I didn't know about the trade until it already happened," DeLaGarza told theScore by phone Tuesday. "I didn't know the logistics behind it and what was given for me. "Seeing how much money the team gave up for you was a little disheartening. After you've been somewhere for so long (and) they say, 'OK, we're going to give you up for this amount of money' - (that) was crazy to see. "If you want to put a price tag on me and it's a price that you're saying I'm worth or not worth, then ehh. From my standpoint, a lot of fans in LA were disappointed that they let me go for only $175,000. "It's good for fans to see just how teams run things." DeLaGarza wasn't alone, however. He had some company in former Galaxy teammate Leonardo, whom the Dynamo also signed in the offseason. Leonardo is now his roommate in Houston, and DeLaGarza explained that sharing the experience has "helped the process" for them both. DeLaGarza likened the transition to when he and Omar Gonzalez first joined LA out of Maryland in 2009. There, the two began learning under Arena, but in Houston, DeLaGarza and Leonardo would take instructions from a new head coach - Wilmer Cabrera. Under Cabrera's tutelage DeLaGarza's first impression of once-mighty Houston was that the side "felt like an expansion team" with so many new faces joining, himself included. Erick Torres, Romell Quioto, and Alberth Elis formed Cabrera's attacking ranks, and DeLaGarza was added into the backline alongside Leonardo. Wins over Seattle, Columbus, and the Red Bulls turned heads off the top of the 2017 season, and DeLaGarza credits Cabrera for the team's rapid growth. "We're not a team that's playing a 4-4-2, we're a team that is better in a 4-3-3 and those guys breaking out and going into the attack," he explained. "It starts with Wilmer and the tactics he implements." DeLaGarza says working with a new coach has been beneficial for his own game, too, after spending his entire Galaxy tenure with Arena. "For me personally, there's some new ideas, new tactics, even some new drills in practice are refreshing," he explained. "You get used to the same drills and voice from the coach after eight years, so for me it's refreshing to get different points of view now." The positives of change A little more than 1,500 miles separates Los Angeles from Houston, and though the summer heat is a daunting prospect - and restaurants are a little sparser - DeLaGarza says he and his family have transitioned well to their new home. Houston, as it turns out, has its perks. "I have a bigger house, a nicer house, for a lot less money, so that makes me happy!" DeLaGarza said. "I'm living out in the suburbs so I have a yard. In LA, you have maybe 300, 400 square feet. Very tiny. Now I have room for my daughter to play." As he adjusts to his new home, DeLaGarza has one eye on a June 17 return to the StubHub Center. "If you get unknowingly traded from a place where you have history and you've been there for quite some time ... it's one of the first games you circle," DeLaGarza said. "But there's a lot of games in between there."
AJ was never fairly compensated for what he was worth to us - based on what he brought to the Galaxy both on and off the field. Talk about cutting the heart out of a team.
I definitely think AJ was not one of "Curt's Guys" and that's why he was dumped in such a ridiculous and unprofessional manner. Possibly AJ had the audacity to suggest they consider hiring a qualified coach...
I've posted this before, but AJ has been critical of both the coaching staff, the lineup choices and the front office. Now, I agree with him, but I can believe that he became an easy choice to let go.
I don't remember any of that - except maybe for feeling that he should start when he didn't, which is a common reaction of players who don't start.
Everything that he was critical of(coaching/FO) left the organization. The new boys probably feared that they'd catch hell with the shit they're pulling. I remember he tweeted some not-so-positive things when Omar and Juni were transferred. I think this was the gif he tweeted after Juni's transfer.
I think he also tweeted his and Omar's joint record as CB starters and made other comments about Omar leaving.
Wow, what a crazy guy AJ was. How dare he point out that he and Omar were incredibly effective when paired together or suggest that getting rid of Juninho was a bad decision. Good riddance - we don't need truth tellers in our organization - we need cool-aid drinkers.
Ecstatic for Omar. I wish he was still with our club. Sign @Omar4Gonzalez if you like to win.— Mike Magee (@magee18) April 27, 2017
Anyone want Landon's condo? He's taking back-up offers... http://www.latimes.com/business/rea...don-donovan-la-live-condo-20170517-story.html
Dynamo's A.J. DeLaGarza says he stands by FC Dallas burn http://www.chron.com/sports/dynamo/...ands-by-FC-11170195.php?cmpid=twitter-desktop
Does anyone in the current LA lineup get our rivalry with San Jose like AJ gets the Houston/Dallas rivalry?
I heard he was moving from right sideline to central mid starting this week. Should be a major boost to creativity for our midfield!
Reading his twitter feed reminds me of how much I love this guy. You guys should check it out if you haven't already. He's such a stand up guy. Also interesting that there is still a big pic of him in his Galaxy uniform headlining his twitter home page (if that's what you call it).
7 Galaxy Players up for Hall of Fame including Becks https://www.lagalaxy.com/post/2017/...national-soccer-hall-fame-class-2017-nominees
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/jul/13/cobi-jones-city-of-angels-fc-usa Cobi Jones: Let’s see how we can give back to the kids in the City of Angels The USA’s most capped player says going home to become director of football at the fourth-tier City of Angels FC ‘was a no-brainer’