Minnesota United announced today the club has acquired the discovery rights for midfielder Jonathan Gonzalez from the Colorado Rapids for $50,000 in General Allocation Money and signed the midfielder on loan through the remainder of the 2022 season from Club de Futbol Monterrey of Liga MX.
“For a young player, he’s 23 years old, [Jonathan] Gonzalez has played a lot of games and big games for Monterrey. I remember watching him in a [CONCACAF] Champions League game a couple of years ago and coming away thinking he was the best player on the field,” said Head Coach Adrian Heath. “While the year or so have not gone the way he would have liked, there’s no doubt there is a lot of talent there. We are hopeful he can resurrect his career here because a couple of years ago, he looked as though he was going to be one of the bright things of Mexican football. We started the season with five players for two defensive-midfielder positions, and now we’re at a stage where that’s not the case. If Jonathan can help us between now and the end of the season, we feel as though that is an area where we might get stuck if we receive more injuries. The risk-reward for Jonathan is huge, and we’re quite excited to get him in here and start to work with him.”
Gonzalez joins MNUFC after a brief stint with Queretaro of Liga MX where he appeared in four matches from being on loan from Liga MX giant CF Monterrey. The defensive-midfielder also spent the 2021 season on loan from Monterrey at Necaxa where he appeared in six matches. The 23-year-old originally signed with Monterrey in 2014 and made his professional debut on July 21, 2017. During his first season, Gonzalez was included in the Ideal Eleven of Apertura 2017 and was honored with the Rookie of the Year Award from Mexico's Balón de Oro. Over the span of his professional career, Gonzalez has appeared in 94 games with one goal. On the international stage, Gonzalez, who was born in California, played for U.S. youth national teams from the under-14 to under-20 levels, but decided in 2018 to represent the Mexico National Team. He made his senior team debut for Mexico shortly after his decision in 2018 in an international friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Vitals:
Jonathan Gonzalez
Position: Midfielder
Date of birth: 04.13.1999 (23 years old)
Height: 5’9”
Birthplace: Santa Rosa, California
