Leonardo González

Leonardo González Arce (born November 21, 1980) is a Costa Rican footballer who plays as a defender for Herediano.

Leonardo González
Personal information
Full name Leonardo González Arce
Date of birth (1980-11-21) November 21, 1980
Place of birth San José, Costa Rica
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Leftback
Club information
Current team
 Herediano
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2000–2008 Herediano 154 (3)
2009 Municipal Liberia 4 (0)
2009–2015 Seattle Sounders FC 133 (2)
2016– Herediano 13 (0)
National team‡
2002–2009 Costa Rica 61 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of October 28, 2016
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of December 6, 2010
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is González and the second or maternal family name is Arce.

Career

Club
Playing for the Seattle Sounders in 2014

González made his professional debut for Herediano on September 24, 2000 against Puntarenas and scored his first league goal on August 4, 2002 against Carmelita.[1] González was an important player for Herediano, appearing in 154 league matches and scoring 3 goals in nine years at the club. He stayed with the team until his transfer to Municipal Liberia, also known as Liberia Mia in early 2009.[2] On July 2, 2009, it was announced that he was signed to Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer.[3][4][5]

Upon signing González, Coach Sigi Schmid said, “It’s nice to have a naturally left-footed player. He can play left back, play center back in a pinch, and he can also play wide and run the whole line for us. He is an attacking left fullback with good size and athleticism. He’s very willing to get forward out of a defensive position and does a good job defensively.”[4]

González stayed with Seattle through the end of the 2015 MLS season. On December 22, 2015, González signed with Herediano, his original Costa Rican club.[6]

International

González made his debut for Costa Rica in a November 2002 friendly match against Ecuador and earned a total of 61 caps, scoring 1 goal.[7] He represented his country in 15 FIFA World Cup qualification matches and played at the 2006 FIFA World Cup[8] as well as the 2003,[9] 2007[10] and 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cups.[11] He was also selected to play in the UNCAF Nations Cup 2007, where he scored against Honduras.

His final international was a July 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup match against El Salvador.

International goals
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 February 9, 2007 Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvador  Honduras 2 – 0 3 – 1 UNCAF Nations Cup 2007

Personal life

González is married to Alejandra Abarca Hernández and they have two children.

González received his U.S. green card in March 2011.[12] This qualifies him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes.

Honors

Costa Rica

Municipal Liberia

Club Sport Herediano

Seattle Sounders FC

References
  1. Datos: Leonardo González - Nación (in Spanish)
  2. Leo González jugará con Liberia - Nación (in Spanish)
  3. Leonardo González jugará en el Sounders de Seattle - Nación (in Spanish)
  4. Sounders FC sign Leonardo Gonzalez – Seattle Sounders Football Club
  5. Monumental Archived June 28, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  6. http://www.soundersfc.com/post/2015/12/22/leo-gonzalez-returns-costa-rica-after-signing-contract-cs-herediano
  7. Mamrud, Roberto. "Costa Rica - Record International Players". RSSSF. Archived from the original on July 6, 2009. Retrieved June 2, 2009.
  8. Leonardo González – FIFA competition record
  9. CONCACAF Championship, Gold Cup 2003 - Full Details Archived October 24, 2008, at the Wayback Machine - RSSSF
  10. CONCACAF Championship, Gold Cup 2007 - Full Details Archived October 24, 2008, at the Wayback Machine - RSSSF
  11. CONCACAF Championship, Gold Cup 2009 - Full Details Archived July 26, 2014, at the Wayback Machine - RSSSF
  12. Public, Sounders FC (March 29, 2011). "Defender Leo Gonzalez Receives Green Card - Seattle Sounders Football Club". Soundersfc.com. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
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