Los Angeles Galaxy star forward Javier ‘Chicharito” Hernandez will get another week to recover from a lingering hamstring injury after Saturday’s season opener against Los Angeles FC was postponed because a forecast of rain, wind and lightning.
In an Instagram post, Hernandez said he would not be available for the original season opener and that his injury likely will keep him out “for a while.” The next game on the Galaxy’s schedule is at FC Dallas on March 4.
The 34-year-old Hernandez, whose Galaxy career has been hampered by injuries, struggled with his hamstring throughout training camp. He left one preseason game after three minutes.
Hernandez led Los Angeles last season with 18 goals in 32 regular-season games and had a pair of assists. He has 35 combined goals over the past two seasons.
The Galaxy are expected to lean on super-sub Dejan Joveljic at forward if Hernandez is not available for an extended period. Joveljic was second on the Galaxy with 11 goals last season despite starting just seven of his 32 games played.
An MLS-record crowd of over 75,000 was expected for Saturday’s game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. No rescheduled date has been announced for the “El Trafico” contest.
“It’s the ‘next man up’ mentality,” Galaxy defender Raheem Edwards said, according to the team website. “Dejan Joveljic has been excellent last year. So for him to possibly get the start, just filling the shoes of Chicharito is something that we as a team have full confidence in him.”
The Galaxy saw the departure of 11 players during the offseason, with midfielder Tyler Boyd and forward/midfielder Memo Rodriguez as key new additions. The team is close to signing defender Lucas Calegari from Brazil and midfielder Isco of Spain, according to the Los Angeles Times.
–Field Level Media
