LAFC announced today that Othoniel Gonzalez Junior has been named head coach of LAFC2, the club’s MLS NEXT Pro Team.
“Junior brings considerable experience to LAFC 2, and we are excited to welcome Junior back home to LA as the new Head Coach of LAFC 2, ”LAFC Co-President and General Manager John Thorrington said “Junior has extensive knowledge of both the youth landscape and the professional game, and we are confident he will provide great leadership to our young players."
Junior, 46, joins LAFC with more than two decades of coaching and scouting experience, which includes experience in Major League Soccer serving as an Assistant Coach and Director of Scouting (2013 & 2014) at Chivas USA, Assistant Coach at the LA Galaxy (2018), and two years as Assistant Coach at the Chicago Fire (2022 & 2023). Gonzalez also brings over six years combined in the USL as a Head Coach leading the LA Galaxy II to two USL post-seasons from 2019-2021, in 2017 with Houston Dynamo’s USL affiliate the RGV Toros, and served as the Assistant Coach for the Seattle Sounders FC II in the USL Pro league in 2016 and also served as the Head Coach and Head Academy Scout in the Sounders Development Academy from 2015-2016.
Gonzalez’s experience is complemented with the U.S. Soccer Federation Pro Coaching License, Welsh FA License and is currently in the process of earning his UEFA A and UEFA A Youth Elite Licenses.
At the National Team level, Gonzalez has served as an Assistant Coach for El Salvador’s 2023 Training Camp and as an Assistant Coach for the US Youth National from 2015- 2019 for team U-15 and U-17 squads including the 2015 U-17 FIFA World Cup in Chile and as a guest Head Coach for the U-17 squad during Nike International Friendlies.
