Leonardo Gonzalez

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2014 (Seattle): Gonzalez played in 23 matches during the regular season, including 20 starts, to become the fifth player in club history to make 100 appearances for Seattle. Gonzalez made his first appearance of the season against Montreal (March 23), and his first start of the season at Portland (April 5). He started all four postseason matches and appeared in four U.S. Open Cup matches, earning an assist on the game-clinching goal in the 114th minute of the U.S. Open Cup final against Philadelphia (September 16).

2013 (Seattle): Gonzalez was voted the 2013 Sounders FC Defender of the Year by his teammates. He started all 27 of his appearances, matching career-highs set in 2010, and finished fourth on the club with 2,318 minutes. The club was 14-9-4 with a 1.00 goals against average with Gonzalez in the lineup, as opposed to 1-3-3 with a 2.14 GAA without. He recorded his lone assist of the season in 2-2 draw at Philadelphia (May 4) when he found Mauro Rosales for his first goal of the season. He made a team-high 20 straight starts from April 13 to August 31. Gonzalez tied-second on the team with 33 starts across all competitions and third among field players with 2,852 minutes.

2012 (Seattle): Gonzalez appeared in 19 league games with 15 starts, helping a defense that ranked second in MLS with a 0.97 goals against average. His lone assist of the campaign came in the first game, a 2-1 win against Santos Laguna (March 7) in the CCL quarterfinals. He played in 597 straight minutes towards the end of the season from August 25 to October 7 before suffering a calf injury that kept him out the rest of the season. He made 26 appearances and 21 starts across all competitions.

2011 (Seattle): He made 14 appearances and started 12 games at left back. He recorded his second career assist on his first corner kick of the season against New York (June 23). Gonzalez played the full 90 minutes in both MLS Cup Playoff games. Additionally, Gonzalez had the game-winning assist in a CCL match vs. San Francisco FC (August 3). For the first time, he returned to Costa Rica to play against his former team at CS Herediano (September 14). In total, he made 25 appearances and 22 starts across all competitions.

2010 (Seattle): Gonzalez started 27 games and played 90 minutes in 22, logging 2,347 minutes. He scored his first MLS goal, the game-winner, against New England (June 5). Also, Gonzalez recorded his first MLS assist against in that match. He missed the match at Colorado (July 25) due to yellow card accumulation and missed the game versus Chicago (August 28) with red card suspension. He led team with six cautions.

2009 (Seattle): Gonzalez joined Seattle following the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup and became a fixture at left back. He started all 13 appearances, including both playoff legs against Houston (October 29, November 8). He made his club debut in a friendly against FC Barcelona (August 5). Gonzalez played 81 minutes in his first league appearance at Real Salt Lake (August 8). He played the full 90 minutes in the U.S. Open Cup Final, a 2-1 win at D.C. United (September 2).

2009 (Municipal Liberia): Gonzalez transferred in 2009 to Municipal Liberia and made four appearances en route to the first division title before signing with Seattle.

2000-2008 (Herediano): He started his club career in 2000 for CS Herediano, making 154 appearances and scoring three goals over nine seasons.

INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE

Gonzalez has been capped 61 times by the Costa Rican National Team, including 15 times in World Cup Qualifying. He represented Los Ticos in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, as well as the 2003, 2007 and 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cups.

PERSONAL

Gonzalez is married to Alejandra Abarca Hernandez, and has two children. He is the son of Alice Arde and Jose Gonzalez, and has two brothers: Alexander and Jose Andreas. He played against his former team, Herediano, in the 2010-2011 CONCACAF Champions League.

ACQUIRED

Signed on July 2, 2009.