Boniek García

Óscar Boniek García Ramírez (born September 4, 1984) is a Honduran footballer who plays as a midfielder. He received his middle name Boniek after famous Polish international player Zbigniew Boniek.[2] Before moving to the United States, García had a successful career in Honduras with Olimpia, winning 8 league titles. He is the 4th most capped Honduran footballer of all time and has the 4th most appearances for Houston Dynamo in club history.

For other people named Oscar García, see Oscar García (disambiguation).

Boniek García
García warming up at Livestrong Sporting Park
Personal information
Full name Óscar Boniek García Ramírez[1]
Date of birth (1984-09-04) September 4, 1984
Place of birth Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
2003 Real Patepluma
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2004–2012 Olimpia 115 (14)
2006–2007 → Marathón (loan)
2012–2020 Houston Dynamo 219 (13)
National team‡
2005– Honduras 126 (3)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1 December 2020
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15 November 2020 (UTC)
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is García and the second or maternal family name is Ramírez.

Club career

García made his senior debut on August 10, 2003 with Real Patepluma, losing 4–1 to Atlético Olanchano.[3] In 2004, he joined Olimpia of Honduras. He also played for Marathón of Honduras. He also went for a 15-day trial with French club Paris Saint Germain and played two friendly games with the team that toured Portugal to play against Vitória Guimarães and Benfica.

During August 2009, it was announced that he would travel to Wigan Athletic, who were in the English Premier League at the time, in order to sign a three–year contract with the club, along with fellow Honduran, Roger Rojas. The contract was not signed and García stayed with Olimpia.[4][5]

On June 7, 2012, García signed with Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo to become their 2nd ever Designated Player.[6] He made his Dynamo debut on June 30 in a 2–0 win over the Philadelphia Union. On July 15, 2012, he scored his first goal in a Dynamo jersey and in Major League Soccer against D.C. United in the 62nd minute. García's impact was immense, with the Dynamo having a +10 goal differential and a record of 9-4-6 after he joined the team. On August 30, García returned to Olimpia as the Dynamo traveled to Honduras to face his old club in the 2012-13 CONCACAF Champions League. He would play all 90 minutes as Houston earned a 1–1 draw.[7] On November 26, 2012, García was awarded the "Newcomer of the Year" and "Player's Player of the Year" award by the team, despite playing only half of the season.[8] García was also named the MLS Latin Player of the Year, as voted on by fans.[9] He helped the team reach MLS Cup in 2012, where the Dynamo would fall to the LA Galaxy 3–1.[10]

On October 27, 2013, García scored in a 2–1 win over DC United in a game that clinched the Dynamo's spot in the 2013 MLS Cup Playoffs.[11] He scored again on October 31 in a 3–0 win over the Montreal Impact in the first game of the playoffs.[12] In the second leg of the conference finals, García scored in the 3rd minute to give the Dynamo a 1–0 lead on aggregate. However, Sporting Kansas City would come back and win 2–1.[13]

García playing with the Dynamo in 2012

2014 was a mixed year for García. he got to represent Honduras at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, but the Dynamo missed out on a playoff spot by 10 points, in part because the team struggled when García missed games for international duty. However, his volley against the Chicago Fire on September 28 was named the Dynamo's Goal of the Year.[14]

The Dynamo would miss out on the playoffs in 2015 and 2016, but García helped lead them to a return in 2017 under new coach Wilmer Cabrera.[15] Although he only made 12 starts on the year, his fewest since joining the Dynamo, García was an important leader in the locker room and on the field. He signed a new contract with Houston on 11 December 2017.[16]

2018 saw García and the Dynamo fail to qualify for the playoffs, however he would make 3 appearances in the US Open Cup, including a start in the final, as Houston won the tournament for the first time in club history. The win qualified them for the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League, returning to the competition for the first time since 2013.[7]

García made his first appearance of the season on 26 February, coming on as a substitute in a 2–1 win over C.D. Guastatoya in a Champions League match.[17] He picked up his first assist on 18 May in a 2–1 win over D.C. United.[18] On 29 September, García made his 200th MLS appearance for the Dynamo, becoming the 4th player in club history to reach that milestone.[19] 2019 saw a personal resurgence for García, playing the most minutes of his Dynamo career and bringing energy to the middle of the pitch. However, the Dynamo would miss out on the playoffs once again.[20] On 20 December he signed a one-year contract to remain in Houston.[21]

García started the first 5 games of the 2020 season for the Dynamo, however he would only start 2 games the rest of the year, primarily featuring as a substitute. Garcia played in 18 games, 7 of them starts, out of a possible 23 in a shortened 2020 season due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.[22] It was another poor season for the Dynamo, missing out on the playoffs for the third straight season.[23] His contract was not renewed by Houston following their 2020 season.[24]

International career

García made his debut for Honduras in a July 2005 friendly match against Canada and has played at the 2007,[25] 2009,[26] and 2011 UNCAF Nations Cups[27] as well as at the 2005,[28] 2007,[29] and 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cups.[30] García helped Honduras win the 2011 Copa Centroamericana finish second at the 2013 Copa Centroamericana.[31] He was also a non-playing squad member at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. He played in all three Group E matches for Honduras at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil including against France when he came on as a substitute.[32] García earned his 100th cap for Honduras on 4 September 2015 in a 3–0 win against Venezuela.[33][7] As of 2017, García had the 4th most caps for Honduras with 125 caps.[34] He returned to play for the national team in a friendly match against Guatemala on 15 November 2020, after three years of absence.[35]

Personal life

He was given the middle name Boniek in honor of Zbigniew Boniek, the famous Polish international footballer.[36] García's dad was a professional soccer player for Olimpia.[37] García chose to have the name "Boniek" written across the back of his jersey while playing for Houston. García and his wife Ivania Reyes have a daughter and twin sons.[38]

Every offseason, García returns home to do charitable work in Honduras. First inspired by former Honduran international Víctor Bernárdez, García collected toys for kids dealing with cancer. He has also donated school supplies and clothes to underprivileged children in Honduras, as well as doing charitable work in the Houston area throughout the year.[39] Following Hurricane Eta hitting Honduras in 2020, García and fellow Honduran international footballers worked to raise money for those impacted by the storm.[40]

García holds a U.S. green card which qualifies him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes.[41]

Career statistics

Club Statistics
As of 13 November 2020[42][43][44]
Appearances, goals, and assists by club, season and competition
Club Season League Playoffs US Open Cup Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAssistsAppsGoalsAssistsAppsGoalsAssistsAppsGoalsAssistsAppsGoalsAssists
Houston Dynamo 2012 MLS 17466110002002557
2013 22365200004003156
2014 2721—000—2721
2015 23350002335
2016 310930134010
2017 20042001002304
2018 2917—3003217
2019 32012003003701
2020 1800000—1800
Career totals 219133913319019002321641


International Statistics
As of 15 November 2020[45][46]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National Team Year Apps Goals
Honduras 200570
200640
2007170
200840
200980
201081
2011140
2012110
2013161
201480
2015120
201671
201790
202010
Total 1263

International Goals
Scores and results list Honduras' goal tally first.
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.September 4, 2010Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, USA El Salvador1–12–2Friendly
2.June 11, 2013Estadio Tiburcio Carías Andino, Tegucigalpa, Honduras Jamaica2–02–02014 FIFA World Cup qualification
3.March 29, 2016Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras El Salvador1–02–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

C.D. Olimpia

Houston Dynamo

Honduras

Houston Dynamo
  • Dynamo Newcomer of the Year: 2012[8]
  • Dynamo Player's Player of the Year: 2012[8]
  • MLS Latin Player of the Year (Latino del Año): 2012[9]
  • Dynamo Goal of the Year: 2014[14]

References
  1. "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil: List of Players" (PDF). FIFA. June 11, 2014. p. 19. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
  2. MŚ:Boniek będzie kibicował...Bońkowi Archived February 29, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, onet.pl, 2010-06-04 (Polish)
  3. "Boniek García: "Mi máximo anhelo es ganar la Copa MLS"" (in Spanish). La Prensa. November 28, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
  4. Bell, Jack (February 25, 2013). "Dynamo's Boniek Garcia Has the Name, and He Has the Game". Goal. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  5. "Rangers chasing Wigan target Boniek - Tribal Football". www.tribalfootball.com. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  6. "Dynamo sign Honduran midfielder Óscar Boniek García". Houston Dynamo. June 7, 2019. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  7. "Boniek García". houstondynamo.com. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  8. "Houston Dynamo announce 2012 team awards". Houston Dynamo. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  9. Pinzón, Diego (December 3, 2012). "Houston's Boniek García named FutbolMLS.com's 2012 Latino del Año". mlssoccer.com. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
  10. "2012-12-01-LA-v-HOU | MLSsoccer.com". December 5, 2012. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  11. Cammarota, Nick (October 27, 2013). "Match Recap: Houston Dynamo 2, D.C. United 1". houstondynamo.com. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  12. Lovell, Darrell (October 31, 2013). "Match Recap: Houston Dynamo 3, Montreal Impact 0". houstondynamo.com. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  13. Brisendine, Steve (November 23, 2013). "Match Recap: Houston Dynamo 1, Sporting Kansas City 2". houstondynamo.com. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  14. "Houston Dynamo announce 2014 team awards". houstondynamo.com. December 5, 2014. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  15. "Dynamo's return to playoffs a three-year process". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  16. "Midfielder Boniek Garcia re-signs with the Houston Dynamo". mlssoccer.com. December 11, 2017. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  17. "Honduras - Ó. García - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  18. "Boniek García 2019 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  19. "Starting XI Notes | RSLvHOU". Houston Dynamo. September 29, 2019. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  20. Gribbs (October 25, 2019). "SOURCES: Boniek Garcia to Sign One Year Extension with Houston Dynamo". Dynamo Theory. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  21. "Houston Dynamo re-sign three international veterans for 2020 season". Houston Dynamo. December 20, 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  22. "2020 Houston Dynamo Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  23. "Major League Soccer Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  24. https://www.houstondynamofc.com/post/2020/12/01/houston-dynamo-fc-exercise-2021-contract-options-10-players
  25. Courtney, Barrie (January 29, 2009). "UNCAF (Qualifying Tournament for Gold Cup) 2007". RSSSF. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
  26. Courtney, Barrie (June 19, 2009). "UNCAF (Qualifying Tournament for Gold Cup) 2009 - Details". RSSSF. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
  27. Lugo, Erik Francisco; Torres, Steven (January 4, 2013). "Copa Centroamericana 2011 (UNCAF Nations Cup)". RSSSF. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
  28. Courtney, Barrie; Saaid, Hamdan (July 30, 2005). "CONCACAF Championship, Gold Cup 2005 - Full Details". RSSSF. Archived from the original on October 24, 2008. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
  29. Saaid, Hamdan (July 19, 2007). "CONCACAF Championship, Gold Cup 2007 - Full Details". RSSSF. Archived from the original on October 24, 2008. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
  30. Lugo, Erik Francisco (July 11, 2013). "CONCACAF Championship, Gold Cup 2011". RSSSF. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
  31. "Honduras - Boniek García - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". us.soccerway.com. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  32. "Honduras Squad list". FIFA.com. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
  33. "Venezuela vs. Honduras - Football Match Line-Ups - September 4, 2015 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  34. "Honduras - Record International Players". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  35. "Boniek García destroza al gobierno de Honduras: "Si no van a aportar, que no estorben"". futbolcentroamerica.com (in Spanish). November 9, 2020.
  36. "MŚ: Boniek będzie kibicował... Bońkowi" (in Polish). onet.pl. June 4, 2010. Archived from the original on February 29, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
  37. "A long way from home, Boniek Garcia learns from newfound relationship with his own". mlssoccer.com. June 16, 2013. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  38. "#Honduras | 15 cosas que quizás no sabías de… Boniek García". Deporte Total USA Radio (in Spanish). September 14, 2017. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
  39. "Boniek Garcia reflects on philanthropic work that spans nearly a decade". Houston Dynamo. December 24, 2019. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
  40. Paz, Wilfredo (November 13, 2020). "Legionarios en acción: la inspiradora campaña de legionarios de la MLS". tiempo.hn. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  41. http://www.houstondynamo.com/post/2016/06/14/what-do-you-need-know-lamar-hunt-us-open-cup
  42. Boniek García at Soccerway. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  43. "Boniek Garcia". Major League Soccer. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  44. "Boniek García Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  45. "Óscar Boniek García - Century of International Appearances". rsssf.com. January 11, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  46. "Óscar Boniek García". National Football Teams. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
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