Omar Gonzalez Begins the Rehab Process at LA Galaxy Preseason Camp

At halftime of the LA Galaxy's preseason game against rival Chivas USA, Omar Gonzalez spoke to the media about his rehab process. He seems upbeat, wasn't wearing a brace on the knee though his bandages were still there from the surgery. He's not kicking a ball yet, but he's rehabbing five days a week.

"Rehab’s going great. I go into the stadium two times a week and go out to this other place three times a week. I’m working hard and things are moving along, feeling better every single day."

Perhaps most importantly, he's remained upbeat through the whole process. In a situation when some players would have gotten down on themselves, Gonzalez is all smiles. In fact, he's shocked those around him with how positive he's been.

"Everything’s been pretty easy. I’m keeping my spirits up. I’m thinking of it as everything happened for a reason, and I’m taking this time to take a mental break from the sport. Just enjoying my time. Take this time to appreciate actually playing, and getting ready to come back."

Even as the injury happened, Omar didn't skip a beat. He said there was no pain, he didn't feel a pop. He was simply told that something was seriously wrong.

"It was kind of quick. I really wasn’t sad about it for too long. I think the German guys thought I was a little weird, they were telling me that something was really wrong and I was smiling."

His current recovery time is a fairly vague 7-9 months. With an injury like this, the most important part is not to push to far too quickly. Making progress ahead of schedule is not necessarily a good thing. The Galaxy won't have Leonardo right away, but he could be back sooner than the 6 game window needed for a player to go on the injured reserve list. Gonzalez will be on the IR list, but don't look for him to be too down about it.