TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS:Report
ORLANDO – FC Dallas inquired this winter about using the No. 1 spot in the allocation order to sign US national team defender Omar Gonzalez, but the center back is likely to remain at Liga MX club Pachuca, FCD technical director Fernando Clavijo told MLSsoccer.com on Saturday.
Dallas acquired the No. 1 spot in the allocation ranking order as part of the trade that sent center back Walker Zimmerman to LAFC in December. Gonzalez would be subject to the allocation order if he ever returns to MLS since the LA Galaxy collected a transfer fee of more than $500,000 when they sold him to Pachuca in December 2015.
A Dallas native, Gonzalez would be an excellent fit for FCD. The club could use another center back after trading Zimmerman to LAFC, and a pairing of Gonzalez and 2016 MLS Defender of the Year Matt Hedges would instantly be one of the best in MLS.
It doesn’t sound like that will happen, however. Gonzalez’s contract with Pachuca expires in June, but Clavijo said the Liga MX club are looking to sign him to a lucrative new deal. He said that it’d be hard for Dallas to match any offer from Pachuca, and the team haven’t pursued the 29-year-old three-time MLS Cup winner beyond their initial inquiry.
Clavijo told ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle earlier this week that the club would be interested in using the allocation spot on former FCD winger Fabian Castillo should he become available. Dallas loaned Castillo to Turkish team Trabzonspor in September 2016 before selling the Colombian to the club last January.
