Gregory "Greg" Martin Garza (born August 16, 1991) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a

left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

Club career

Estoril Praia

Garza spent several years with

Sporting Clube de Portugal Sporting Clube de Portugal, founded Sporting Club de Portugal (), otherwise referred to as Sporting CP, often known abroad as Sporting Lisbon , is a Portuguese professional sports club based in Lisbon. It is best known for the professional foo ...

's under-19 team, but he was not offered a contract with the senior squad. As a result, he moved to Estoril Praia on a two-year contract in August 2010.

Club Tijuana

Garza signed with Mexican Primera División side

Club Tijuana Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles de Caliente, commonly known as Tijuana, or simply as '' Xolos'', is a Mexican professional football club based in Tijuana. The club's badge is the founder's (Jorge Hank) hairless xoloitzcuintle, Hermoso. Founded o ...

on December 21, 2011. Garza made his debut coming in as a sub in minute 73 for

José Sand José Gustavo Sand (born 17 July 1980), nicknamed Pepe, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for Argentinian club Lanús as a striker. He made two appearances for the Argentina national team. Club career Early career Born in Bell ...

against Monarcas Morelia in a 1–1 tied game. He scored the first goal of his career for the club on October 13, 2012 in a 2–2 draw at

Santos Laguna Club Santos Laguna S.A. de C.V. (), commonly known as Santos Laguna or Santos, is a Mexican professional football club that competes in the Liga MX. It is located in northern Mexico and represents the urban area of La Comarca Lagunera, made u ...

Atlanta United

In December 2016 it was announced that Garza had signed a one-year loan deal with newly formed side

Atlanta United Atlanta United FC, commonly known as Atlanta United, is an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference. Founded in 2014, Atlanta United began p ...

for the 2017 season. Atlanta acquired Garza's MLS right from

Columbus Crew SC The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as o ...

in exchange for a second-round pick in the

2018 MLS SuperDraft The 2018 MLS SuperDraft was the nineteenth SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. As customary, the SuperDraft was held in conjunction with the annual United Soccer Coaches convention. The 2018 UCS was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania bet ...

. On November 29, 2017, Atlanta announced that it had signed Garza to a permanent multi-year deal. Greg Garza made $175,008 for the 2018 MLS Season.

FC Cincinnati

On December 11, 2018, Atlanta United announced that the club had traded Garza to

FC Cincinnati Football Club Cincinnati, commonly known as FC Cincinnati, is an American professional soccer club based in Cincinnati. The club plays in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The team succeeded the lower-division team of the ...

in exchange for $250,000 of Targeted Allocation Money (TAM) and $200,000 of General Allocation Money (GAM) to be used toward the acquisition of new players.

Retirement

On April 23, 2021, Garza announced his retirement from professional soccer at the age of 29. He cited his struggles with various injuries as the reason for his retirement. Since retirement, Garza maintains his connection with soccer through volunteering with local youth soccer clubs. In 2021 Garza founded a soccer mentoring organization, Beyond Goals Mentoring along with former Atlanta United teammate

Michael Parkhurst Michael Finlay Parkhurst (born January 24, 1984) is an American former soccer player who played as a defender. The 2005 MLS Rookie of the Year and 2007 MLS Defender of the Year Award, Parkhurst was capable of playing both as a center back an ...

International career

Garza was announced as part of the United States senior squad for a friendly against the Czech Republic on September 3, 2014. His first senior international cap was recorded during the match, being subbed on in the 62nd minute. He was capped-tied to the U.S. national team after his first competitive match in the

2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 13th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup competition and the 23rd CONCACAF regional championship overall in the organization's fifty-four years of existence. It was held in the United States, with two matches bein ...

against Haiti, while starting and playing 67 minutes. But after the group stage he was traded out of the gold cup roster for

DaMarcus Beasley DaMarcus Lamont Beasley (; born May 24, 1982) is an American former professional soccer player. A left-footed player, Beasley played both as a left winger and left wingback throughout his career. He retired from soccer after the 2019 MLS Season. ...

as each team could make six changes if they advanced to the knockout round.

Personal life

Garza was born and raised in Texas but holds a Mexican passport by way of his father who was born in Mexico.

Career statistics

Honors

Tijuana * Liga MX: Apertura 2012 Atlanta United *

MLS Cup The MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The game is held in November and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Conference ...

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

* MLS All-Star:

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Garza, Greg 1991 births Living people Sportspeople from Dallas County, Texas Soccer players from Denton County, Texas Men's association football fullbacks Men's association football defenders Sporting CP footballers American men's soccer players American expatriate men's soccer players American sportspeople of Mexican descent G.D. Estoril Praia players Club Tijuana footballers Atlas F.C. footballers Atlanta United FC players Liga Portugal 2 players Liga MX players Major League Soccer players Major League Soccer All-Stars Expatriate men's footballers in Portugal Expatriate men's footballers in Mexico Sportspeople from Grapevine, Texas United States men's under-20 international soccer players United States men's international soccer players American expatriate sportspeople in Mexico 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup players FC Cincinnati players