[AMERICANS ABROAD] In his first training session after the announcement of his loan to Germany's FC Nuremberg, Omar Gonzalez suffered a knee injury after being fouled by Nuremberg's U.S. national team defender Timothy Chandler. German news agency SID reports that Gonzalez tore his ACL.

Gonzalez, the 6-foot-5 central defender who helped the Los Angeles Galaxy win the 2011 MLS title, had left the U.S. national team training camp in Arizona and to train with the German first division club in Turkey.

Nuremberg chairman Martin Bader said the club was considering acquiring Gonzalez next summer but was pleased to be able to use him on loan through mid-February, when he would return to the Galaxy for the last phase of preseason training.

Nuremberg looked to Gonzalez to shore up a backline that will lose Phillipp Wollscheid to Bayer Leverkusen in the summer.

Texas-born and raised Gonzalez, the 2009 MLS Rookie of Year, has two caps for the U.S. national team, but could still choose to represent Mexico internationally given his Mexican heritage. His call-up for the camp in Arizona was his first under Coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who recommended Gonzalez to Bader, according to the Nuernberger Zeitung.

Chandler, who was born and raised in Germany, debuted for the USA last year against Argentina during the tenure of Klinsmann's predecessor Bob Bradley and has played eight matches. Chandler has been a regular starter since Klinsmann took over last summer.

Bradley also gave Gonzalez his first cap in August, 2010, against Brazil.