CARSON, Calif. – The LA Galaxy’s A.J. DeLaGarza admitted it has been a trying year and his contract status was the least of his concerns, but he was more than happy to sign a multi-year contract extension with the MLS club on Wednesday.
The 26-year-old, just named the team’s Defender of the Year and Humanitarian of the Year, said he couldn’t think of playing anywhere else as he talked about his new deal.
“It’s good to have them commit to me and me commit to them and this league,” said DeLaGarza, who was drafted 19th overall in 2009 out of the University of Maryland and has made 155 appearances, including 150 starts, in six seasons.
DeLaGarza, generously listed on the roster at 5 feet 9 and 150 pounds, has faced his share of challenges this season. The biggest one came off of the field, where he and his wife Megan had to cope with the loss of their newborn son, Luca, to a heart condition known as Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome.
But DeLaGarza carried on and, with his impressive versatility, helped anchor a defense that has allowed a league-low 35 goals this season.
“He’s been a great player for our team on the field and off,” head coach Bruce Arena said. “He’s a person of high character and integrity. He’s a very good player; he’s very versatile.
“At his age to have him secured for a number of years is real positive for our organization.”
Galaxy center back Omar Gonzalez, a teammate of DeLaGarza in college, said he couldn’t be happier for him.
“He’s a guy that’s been tirelessly working hard and doing great things for this club,” said Gonzalez, who will miss Sunday’s rematch in Seattle after being red-carded during last Sunday’s 2-2 draw with the Sounders at StubHub Center. “Maybe he hasn’t gotten a lot of notoriety, but he’s a guy that we look to always be on the field and make impacts on games, and he always does.
“He’s a guy that we want around for a long time to come. He’s just one of the best locker room guys to have around. I’m happy to be with him for another three, four years.”
DeLaGarza, who downplayed the significance of his new deal – “It means I’m going to be here longer,” he said with a grin after training Wednesday – said talks about an extension didn’t take long. DeLaGarza would have been out of contract at the conclusion of the MLS Cup playoffs.
“This was a pretty quick process,” he said. “I didn’t think about it too much … I had a lot of other stuff to worry about this year. This wasn’t something that was on my mind, but when it came up we got it done pretty quickly.
“There’s no other place I’d rather be.”
