CARSON, Calif. – AEG President and CEO Dan Beckerman has been mostly a behind the scenes presence since taking the position weeks ago, but the executive was on the podium on Thursday when the Galaxy announced the deal to sign Omar Gonzalez as the club’s third Designated Player.
In statement’s Beckerman was blunt when discussing Gonzalez’s impact with LA, bluntly stating that “Omar is the Galaxy.”
“Omar had opportunities all over the world, but he chose to stay here with the Galaxy and that’s a significant milestone for us. It really validates everything that we want to be as a league. We always want to be a league of choice and more importantly, it establishes us as the team of choice, which has always been our mission as the Galaxy.
As for what it means for AEG, who have developed a reputation for signing big name players since acquiring the team in 2008, signing Gonzalez was a major boost.
“It’s critically important to have Omar join the ranks of Landon Donovan, Robbie Keane and David Beckham, and be an American player at that level is critical for the success of the team. We want to have world class international players on our team, period. Whether they come from the U.S., abroad or wherever, we want to have the best players with the Galaxy as a Designated Player…We want the best players wherever they come from.”
