A. J. DeLaGarza

BIOGRAPHY

A. J. DeLaGarza was born November 4, 1987, in Bryans Road, Maryland. He is a defender in Major League Soccer.

DeLaGarza was drafted in the second round (19th overall) of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft by LA Galaxy. He made his professional debut on March 22, 2009, in Galaxy's first game of the 2009 MLS season against D.C. United, playing the whole 90 minutes at left back in a 2–2 draw. Following Sean Franklin's mid-season hamstring injury, DeLaGarza played many games at the right side of Galaxy's defense, starting 16 consecutive games at right back before missing a game due to injury. He would ultimately clock 1,754 minutes in his rookie season. DeLaGarza picked up his first career assist on July 11, sending in a cross that Edson Buddle headed past the Chivas USA keeper to give the Galaxy a 1–0 win. DeLaGarza scored his first goal for LA in a 6–3 loss against FC Dallas on September 12, 2009. He helped the Galaxy defense concede 31 fewer goals than in 2008 and set a club record for clean sheets in a season with 12. The strengthened defense helped LA finish first in the Western Conference. DeLaGarza would make two appearances in the playoffs as the Galaxy would go onto reach MLS Cup, where they lost to Real Salt Lake.

On May 1, 2010, DeLaGarza scored the then fourth fastest goal in club history when he rushed to the back post to tap in a pass from Buddle after 51 seconds. LA would go on to defeat the Philadelphia Union 3–1. He made his debut in the CONCACAF Champions League on July 27, a 4–1 loss to the Puerto Rico Islanders. He and the Galaxy had a strong season in 2010 as they lifted the Supporters' Shield. DeLaGarza's versatility was on display throughout the year, as he featured as a left back, center back, and as a right back. In eight of his 17 league appearances on the year, LA kept a clean sheet. He played every minute of their playoff run at center back, filling in for the injured Gregg Berhalter. However, they would fail to return to MLS Cup after losing to Dallas in the Western Conference Finals.

2016 saw DeLaGarza once again lead one of the league's best defenses, making 24 MLS appearances for the defense that allowed the second fewest goals in the league. On September 4, DeLaGarza became just the fifth Galaxy players to make at least 200 MLS regular season appearances for the club, joining Landon Donovan, Cobi Jones, Kevin Hartman and Mauricio Cienfuegos. His versatility was crucial for head coach Bruce Arena, who could count on DeLaGarza to give a strong performance at right back and center back throughout the year. The Galaxy returned for the playoffs for the eighth straight year in 2016. However, they would fail to make a deep run, losing to the Rapids on penalties in the Conference semi-finals.

Now back to full health, DeLaGarza returned to his role as the primary right back for Houston in 2019. He would make his first appearance of 2019 in the Dynamo's opening match of their CONCACAF Champions League campaign, a 1–0 win at Guastatoya on February 19. DeLaGarza appeared in all four of the CCL matches as they reached the quarterfinals before falling to Tigres. After not appearing in the season opener due to being rested for the Champions League, DeLaGarza made 14 straight starts at right back in MLS matches, picking up one assist in that stretch.

As a free agent, DeLaGarza signed with the New England Revolution on January 7, 2021.