1-on-1 with A.J. DeLaGarza: Starting a new chapter a long way from home

On the day of the MLS SuperDraft, college athletes sit anxiously awaiting their fates amid the chatter of coaches and general managers. It's a day that changed A.J. DeLaGarza's life twice: in 2009, when he was drafted by the LA Galaxy, and eight years later, when he was unexpectedly traded to the Houston Dynamo.

DeLaGarza took some time to speak with theScore about the next chapter of his career as he swaps California sun for Texas heat.

A new adventure, a new home

Los Angeles is where DeLaGarza grew up, plying his trade throughout his twenties for Bruce Arena's LA Galaxy. He played alongside some of the biggest stars in MLS history - David Beckham, Landon Donovan, and Steven Gerrard among them - and won three MLS Cup titles in his eight-year tenure.

His departure via trade in January was neither expected nor conventional. It was among the first deals in the league whose terms were disclosed: It took $175,000 in general and targeted allocation money to pry DeLaGarza away. The news came as a surprise, and as a blow.

"I didn't know about the trade until it already happened," DeLaGarza told theScore by phone Tuesday. "I didn't know the logistics behind it and what was given for me.

"Seeing how much money the team gave up for you was a little disheartening. After you've been somewhere for so long (and) they say, 'OK, we're going to give you up for this amount of money' - (that) was crazy to see.

"If you want to put a price tag on me and it's a price that you're saying I'm worth or not worth, then ehh. From my standpoint, a lot of fans in LA were disappointed that they let me go for only $175,000.

"It's good for fans to see just how teams run things."

DeLaGarza wasn't alone, however. He had some company in former Galaxy teammate Leonardo, whom the Dynamo also signed in the offseason. Leonardo is now his roommate in Houston, and DeLaGarza explained that sharing the experience has "helped the process" for them both.

DeLaGarza likened the transition to when he and Omar Gonzalez first joined LA out of Maryland in 2009. There, the two began learning under Arena, but in Houston, DeLaGarza and Leonardo would take instructions from a new head coach - Wilmer Cabrera.

Under Cabrera's tutelage

DeLaGarza's first impression of once-mighty Houston was that the side "felt like an expansion team" with so many new faces joining, himself included. Erick Torres, Romell Quioto, and Alberth Elis formed Cabrera's attacking ranks, and DeLaGarza was added into the backline alongside Leonardo.

Wins over Seattle, Columbus, and the Red Bulls turned heads off the top of the 2017 season, and DeLaGarza credits Cabrera for the team's rapid growth.

"We're not a team that's playing a 4-4-2, we're a team that is better in a 4-3-3 and those guys breaking out and going into the attack," he explained. "It starts with Wilmer and the tactics he implements."

DeLaGarza says working with a new coach has been beneficial for his own game, too, after spending his entire Galaxy tenure with Arena.

"For me personally, there's some new ideas, new tactics, even some new drills in practice are refreshing," he explained. "You get used to the same drills and voice from the coach after eight years, so for me it's refreshing to get different points of view now."

The positives of change

A little more than 1,500 miles separates Los Angeles from Houston, and though the summer heat is a daunting prospect - and restaurants are a little sparser - DeLaGarza says he and his family have transitioned well to their new home.

Houston, as it turns out, has its perks.

"I have a bigger house, a nicer house, for a lot less money, so that makes me happy!" DeLaGarza said. "I'm living out in the suburbs so I have a yard. In LA, you have maybe 300, 400 square feet. Very tiny. Now I have room for my daughter to play."

As he adjusts to his new home, DeLaGarza has one eye on a June 17 return to the StubHub Center.

"If you get unknowingly traded from a place where you have history and you've been there for quite some time ... it's one of the first games you circle," DeLaGarza said. "But there's a lot of games in between there."

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)