Omar Gonzalez leaves Galaxy for Pachuca

Defender Omar Gonzalez has been transferred from the Galaxy to Mexico’s Pachuca of Liga MX for an undisclosed fee.

The 6-foot-5 center back was viewed as a possible future star for the U.S. national team when he made his international debut in 2009, but his career has stalled since January 2012, when he tore his left anterior cruciate ligament in a collision with fellow American Timmy Chandler. The injury occurred during Gonzalez’s first training session with Germany’s Nuremberg, where he had been loaned.

Gonzalez reinjured the knee in May 2014 and recovered to start the Americans’ last group-stage match and round-of-16 loss to Belgium at the World Cup. He has 30 international appearances but has fallen behind Geoff Cameron, John Brooks, Matt Besler and Michael Orozco on U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann’s depth chart.

Gonzalez has been a fixture on the Galaxy’s back line since 2009. He has three MLS Cup titles, four selections to the MLS Best XI and won the league’s 2011 Defender of the Year award.

Gonzalez became a designated player in 2013, but the Galaxy paid down their commitment to him last year to sign Mexican star Giovani Dos Santos.

Faced with another salary-cap crunch for next season, the Galaxy were unable to figure out how to fit Gonzalez into their plans.