Learn more about Jesse Gonzalez's wild 2015 in the infographic above
FRISCO, Texas - For goalkeeper Jesse Gonzalez, 2015 has already been a career year.
In January, the FC Dallas Academy product competed with the Mexican U-20 National Team as they won the CONCACAF U-20 Championship – making two saves on PKs to beat Panama in the Final. In June, Gonzalez again played for the Mexican U-20s at the U-20 World Cup in New Zealand, picking up shutouts in his two starts. He was selected to play in the 2015 Chipotle Homegrown Game during MLS All-Star week in July and impressed with several key saves in his lone half of play. And two weeks ago, the 20-year-old made his first start as a professional, earning a 3-1 win on loan with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds of the USL.
“I think I have improved a lot since I’ve been with the national team and that game in Pittsburgh helped get my confidence up,” Gonzalez said. “It’s been a great year.”
“I think that 2015 has been an incredible year for Jesse,” Technical Director Fernando Clavijo said. “He’s surprised me positively in the last couple months. He has matured, he’s doing well in training [and] he’s competing.”
Clavijo also added that Gonzalez could have an opportunity with the first team “very soon.”
“He certainly is fighting and putting a case into the team,” head coach Oscar Pareja said. “His professionalism is growing. His attitude [in] training is growing immensely too. He’s in a great moment right now.”
Gonzalez is in his third season on the FC Dallas roster after signing a homegrown contract in March 2013, but this season has undoubtedly been a turning point for the young keeper. The team saw the biggest change when he returned from the U-20 Championships in February.
“He was a different person,” Clavijo said. “You could see his demeanor was different – he was more secure in himself. I think his personality has changed. Before he was an Academy kid training with the first team, and right now is a pro and I think that you can see that in his play.”
That new-found confidence is even making an impression on his teammates.
“Every day at practice he’s a guy working hard, trying to get better,” defender Ryan Hollingshead said. “Our goalie situation is one of the best in the league. We have three guys that can step in and be starters right now. That’s pretty rare.”
While Gonzalez continues to work towards his first-team debut, Clavijo said the ceiling is high for his potential with FC Dallas.
“I think we have something good on our hands.”
