Back in Houston after retirement, Boniek Garcia embarks on the next phase of his career

For ten seasons, Oscar Boniek Garcia was a staple on the Houston Dynamo gameday sheet. A regular in many starting linueps, his smile was recognizable to hundreds of fans, and his work ethic was never questioned once.

"El Presidente" (The President), as he would be nicknamed after a Concacaf Champions League visit to Honduras, is back in Houston. On Saturday, he will be recognized by the club, along with many former players, as part of Alumni Weekend.

But unlike many of his former teammates that are just in town for the celebration, Garcia has permanently planted his roots in Houston. His retirement was a family decision, in part to spend more time with his children through their teen years, but also to enter the next phase of his career.

"For the time being, I will dedicate myself totally these days or these months to my family," Garcia told The Striker. "To dedicate myself to my little ones in the academy where they are. I am contributing, helping there. I am developing in a role helping instruct children. We are just starting with a foundation, Boniek Foundation, to help the children grow, how to get more involved, to always want to believe in themselves, to grow, both technically and tactically, to start evaluating them in that sense, physically, to keep an open mind, to let them develop."

Garcia started working one-hour sessions last month with four players at a time. He is focusing on young players ages eight and up and the small groups allow him to have a more personal approach with his students.

"Maybe in the future, I can come and knock on the doors of the club and I know that I can have them open," Garcia said when asked about staying involved with the Dynamo but clarified there is no further link beyond this weekend's event.

From Honduras to Houston

Now that he has time to reminisce, Garcia recalled the start of his career. From the age of seven, he remembers playing on the streets of Tegucigalpa, kicking around with his neighbors, and playing with his first youth clubs.

He still recalls his tryout with Real Maya, later called Real Patepluma after moving to Santa Barbara, and the over 60 players that were there that day. The friend that accompanied him bailed on trying out, thinking the possibilities were slim to get picked, but Garcia saw his chance.

"I was 17 years old when I went and had my tryout," Garcia said. "I went with another friend, but my friend didn't want to try out because he thought there were too many, that he would have little chance. Well, when one has the desire to improve oneself, I encouraged myself and said, no, this is an opportunity to get ahead, to be able to help my mother and have a long career, a long family, if God allowed it at that time."

Garcia made the cut to 30 then to the first team. It wasn't long before Olimpia, the all-time winner with 36 titles in the Honduran first division, had its eyes on him, but it probably didn't hurt that he always played well against them.

"Every time I played against Olimpia, I think those were my best games," Garcia said. "I always played my best games because really one's dream is always to be able to make it to a big team. Olimpia looked at my conditions and I was able to make the team."

José de la Paz Herrera Uclés, commonly known as Chelato Uclés, was the coach who gave him his big break and one of around eight coaches he would have at Olimpia before joining the Houston Dynamo. When he was brought to Houston, Boniek arrived as an eight-time league champion.

Best Moments

Houston saw the best years of Oscar Boniek Garcia. He made his first appearance on June 30, 2012, coming off the bench against the Philadelphia Union.

From there, he'd go on to make over 250 appearances by wearing the Dynamo jersey in MLS, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and the Concacaf Champions League. He also became the first man to play in the FIFA World Cup while being an active member of the club.

"The truth is that being there, and putting your hand on your chest, singing the anthem at the top of your lungs, I think it means a lot to you as a player," Garcia said on playing in soccer's biggest event. "I think it is a consecration, a graduation for us players, it is something we dream of, we yearn for, we know we are being seen by the whole world and whether you like it or not, it is something very important for us."

His favorite moments in Houston start with his first season as the club won the Eastern Conference to play in the 2012 MLS Cup Final. In 2018, Garcia won his first major trophy with the club by way of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

"I think it was something quite important," Garcia said. "Because my dream was always to have won something important and, whether you like it or not, the Cup was something quite important for me and for the club."

"Moments of goals are always quite emotional, quite special," he said of his highlights with the club. "Mainly, my first headed goal, something not very usual for me, and that was quite important in front of the fans. My first goal, I think I enjoyed it to the fullest. Then, another pretty important moment that I enjoyed was when I scored two goals against Chivas USA. My wife was pregnant and they were twins and well, it was my turn to score two goals and I was able to celebrate the two goals that were for my two children who were on the way."

Forever Orange

"If I remember correctly, I think it was 36 games," Garcia said when asked about the club's 36-match home unbeaten streak.

"Thirty-six games where beating Houston here was really difficult because we were a very compact team, we were pretty much a running team, we played pretty vertically, with a lot of options for goals and we were all defending," Garcia continued. "I think that's what made us strong on this field and that's what I'm really looking at again with Ben Olsen. That's what stands out to me, that they have a very compact team, very dynamic, that likes to come out of the back, that doesn't risk it, always on their feet. In fact, two weeks ago I came to see them and after four minutes they were already two-nil up. I was quite surprised because I had not had the opportunity to see them live and I think that stood out to me of the way they are playing."

He and other former players will be able to witness the current team against a well-known rival in Sporting Kansas City. Fans will be able to mingle with the players that brought them great memories with a pre-match barbecue an hour before the match.

Of course, these days, the attendances at games are much lower. The club has yet to sellout one match this season and, when asked of how the team could win more of the Hispanic segment, Garcia had a familiar take.

"Well really, having players of theirs here," Garcia said. "Having a player from El Salvador, so to speak, from Honduras, from Guatemala, because there is a lot of community. In fact, we already have Herrera, there's quite a bit of Mexican community and they come to support ... I also see quite a few Hondurans who always come to support, but they wanted to have a Honduran player as well to attract more people. Obviously, let's hope for a future of having a Honduran here again."

Whether officially linked or not, those that know him know he is a continuing ambassador for the club. For those that won't be able to be present at Shell Energy Stadium on Saturday night, he offers his gratitude.

"First of all, I would like to thank them for the unconditional support they gave me from the very first moment I arrived here," Garcia said about his message to the fans. "I am very grateful to them for all the support they gave me, both in good times and bad. I am very grateful. Thank you very much and may you always continue to support the club."