FC Dallas has signed free-agent defender Omar Gonzalez to a contract through the 2024 season, with a club option for the 2025 season, the club announced today.

The Athletic’s Tom Bogert was the first to report the signing on Tuesday evening. Gonzalez most recently played with the New England Revolution, where he appeared in 37 games across two seasons. Last season, Gonzalez featured 18 times in the regular season for the Revs, scoring his lone goal of the season on September 17 against the Colorado Rapids.

“I am extremely excited and proud to be joining FC Dallas after leaving the area at the age of 15. When the opportunity presented itself, I jumped at the chance to come back home,” said FC Dallas defender Omar Gonzalez in a press release issued by the club. “This is a full circle moment. When I broke the news to my family in our group chat, I said to them, ‘the kid is coming home a man.’ It is special to be reunited with them in Dallas. I am thrilled to join the organization and to work together to put a star over the FC Dallas crest.”

Gonzalez most notably played for the LA Galaxy during their heyday of the early 2010s. He joined the LA Galaxy in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft and went on to play 180 regular-season games for them, winning the MLS Cup in 2011, 2012 and 2014. Gonzalez was named the MLS Rookie of the Year in 2009 and the MLS Defender of the Year in 2011.

He played three seasons in Liga MX with Pachuca. Gonzalez also won the 2017 Concacaf Champions League with Pachuca after defeating Tigres UANL. Gonzalez helped Pachuca finish third in the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2017 after convincingly defeating United Arab Emirates side Al-Jazira 4-1 on December 16, 2017. He then returned to MLS in 2019 to play with Toronto FC.

On the national team front, Gonzalez was a consistent call-up with the United States men’s national team. He represented the United States at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and four CONCACAF Gold Cups, winning the 2013 and 2017 edition.

BDS Thoughts

Weirdly enough, this wasn’t the first time FC Dallas tried to sign Gonzalez. Back in 2018, the club tried to land him from Pachuca. This was after FCD traded Walker Zimmerman to LAFC ahead of their inaugural season. FCD needed a center back then, and they needed another one today.

This move is going to divide folks left and right here. If this is purely a depth addition and Gonzalez is earning the veteran minimum (it was $85,444 in 2023) to come to Dallas and appear in 10-16 games across all competitions, then this is a home run. He will add some valuable locker room leadership that this club could use.

But on the other hand, if he is earning anywhere near what he got in New England last year ($425k), then this is a big gamble and probably a bit of a waste of money for FC Dallas. Gonzalez is 35 years old and nowhere near the level of player that he was ten years ago when he was helping the Galaxy win the titles they won.

I don’t love this move, but I also don’t hate it. Adding a guy who has won multiple MLS Cups to the roster is not a bad thing. To be a champion, you do have to know how to act and play as one. Gonzalez should be able to check those boxes off. Again, if this is purely a depth move, I think he’ll do better than Jose Martinez did here in Dallas. If it ends up being anything more, then it will be a lot of what New England fans felt over the last two years: nothing but disappointment.