IMO, he's good with literally everything for a CB other than his movement and his passing out of the back. Should be one of the better CB's in Liga MX, just like he was in MLS. I think he could've moved to Europe, but he's probably comfortable with the culture in Mexico. I frankly don't think he needs to go to Europe to figure out how good he is or anything like that. He's been playing with the NT for years, I think we can make a good assessment on his quality.
I don't want to turn this into a debate about league quality, but I don't think Liga MX is that better than MLS.
They win CONCACAF every single year and most years it's not even close so... Anyway, I didn't come here for that. Good signing for us, and with the exception of last season when I was working long fn hours every day of the week, I usually always watch our games. I'll give updates in here for those that don't watch.
Not many are going to beat Gonzo in the air in Mexico. Defending 1v1 might not be his strength but he does more than his part in eating up crosses and cutting out the long balls.
Well, we can't beat them. So there's that. It's not the gap that there is between, say, MLS and La Liga, if that's what you mean. But because of their structure the benchwarmers in Liga MX would be high level starters in MLS. Omar is going to be an average to high-average player in Mexico. He was defender of the year in MLS. Their teams are just much, much deeper. That's why TAM was created in the first place.
Well, he probably just moved up to starting CB for the Nats without kicking a ball! Actually, regardless of whether Liga MX is way better than MLS or just deeper, it has a different style. Gonzalez could improve his ability to defend against short passes on the ground, so it might make him a better player and improve his USMNT fortunes.
Sad to see him leave the Galaxy but I guess he needed a change of scenery. Negatives : Mobility (duh he's 6'5") could be a tronco at times, touch & passing can be hit or miss. Strengths: Omar is as dominant a defender the usmnt has in the air & the dude can chug a bottle of beer in one gulp.
Yea that would be sweet. I love Pachuca because they are one of the couple of MX clubs that aren't afraid to develop their talented youngsters starting multiple u23s. Those guys all have big potential to go to Europe too.
The line of the day belongs to 101GreatGoals, who said that Pachuca just signed a defender from the LA Galaxy far far away. Anyway, I think Gonzo will struggle in Liga MX, as theirs is not generally a "high cross into the box" style.
You're talking about a clown who took the most successful club in Mexico and has turned them into a team that's struggling to not get relegated. Vergara is probably the worst example of how Mexican teams operate. And to be fair, CUSA had some successful seasons. It was only when the Cues dropped out and it was clear that they had no intention of finding their own place to play that the bottom fell out completely.
It's not his best position. He's a pretty classic centerback, great in the air, decent at 1v1 defending, looks slower than he actually is and can make some great last minute tackles. He's not particularly quick (vs. fast) and not great with the ball at his feet, so if you're looking for that kind of libero, he's not ideal.
Sciaretta's thoughts: http://americansoccernow.com/articles/3-thoughts-on-omar-gonzalez-move-to-pachuca
The stuff about leadership is article filler. Since the late 00's, We've only had 3 guys who can provide the sort of leadership that any team needs: Calero, Caballero, and Mosquera. To an extent Oscar Perez and Nahuelpan are getting there also. The young guys have been with the club since early teens and they identify with the institution so they won't look to a guy for leadership just because he's 5 years older and has been to a WC. He'll fit in just fine if he makes the effort, but no one will be looking to him for leadership.
also if he screws up get redy for Nahuelpan to kick his ass..... http://futboltotal.com.mx/2015/08/pachuca-separa-a-ariel-nahuelpan-del-plantel/
Awkward but actually kind of fitting, no? By going to play in Mexico he has chosen the path of the dark side
A lot of Mexican teams are fun to watch. I believe it's the most watched league in the United States. Too bad most MLS fans have a bizarre English fetish, all the way down to copying the lingo and doing Euro-Ultra-Cosplay. Maybe a side benefit to Americans playing for Mexican teams will be MLS fans watching more Liga MX. They really are good teams and they play our teams pretty regularly. That, to me, is a lot more fun than following some team in a city in England I'll never, ever visit.
Liga MX is a fun league to watch. It's literally a hodgepodge of everything that's good and bad about soccer. You have golazos, fights, rivalries, crazy fans, and great back and forth action. EPL to me seems to get more watered down every year. Other then Leicester, there's no real intrigue right now. MX is unpredictable. The recent tournament was insane. Hope Omar can pick up the speed quickly, because it's alot faster than MLS.
For more USMNT players to go abroad we need more USMNT players capable of playing at a higher level. Assuming you're not talking about playing in Armenia or Burma. People act like any USMNT player can walk into a CL club. That idea has wrecked a lot of players. The market decides where they'll play, not Jurgen and not the player. Gonzalez going to Pachuca was a good move, but don't be surprised if he doesn't start. Donovan was lucky because he got tons of playing time and some good loans to Everton. His time in Germany almost ruined him, because he was in no way ready to play there.
Yes, I think it's a good move. My point was, people say "We need more guys playing in Champions League". *COUGH*Jurgen*COUGH* But we need guys who can actually play at that level first. Until then MLS is a good choice for a lot of guys. OMAR had zero competition at the Galaxy. Leonardo is completely incompetent and the other guys are fresh out of the academy. At Pachuca he'll be fighting for a starting spot every week. I think he can win that spot, but most MLS guys can't. For instance, if Zardes went to Mexico he'd probably sit until he got cut. That's just a fact. We don't need guys going to better leagues just because.