CHICHARITO STAR
THE GOOD
Just when it seemed MLS might be lacking
some star power after the departures of
Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Wayne Rooney,
and the clubs’ attentions were on players
from South America, LA Galaxy delivered
a player craved for years – Mexico
international Javier Hernandez. Chicharito,
as he is also known, has played for some
of the world’s biggest clubs in Manchester
United and Real Madrid, and is still only
- He’s not at the dead end of his career
looking for one last payday – though he
does have a chip on his shoulder and the
motivation to prove some doubters wrong.
The claims that Hernandez is using MLS as
a retirement home were inevitable, but it’s
a move that makes sense. He scored goals
at United, did well at Madrid considering
he was only on loan, signed as back-up
to Karim Benzema, and provided a good
return for both Bayer Leverkusen and
West Ham. It was only in his last European
posting, at Sevilla, that the goals didn’t
come. There are plenty of European
clubs who could do with a goalscorer like
Hernandez. LA Galaxy have got him – and
they’re paying him a lot of money – but he’ll
prove worth it.
It’s not only on the pitch that Hernandez’s
impact will be positive. Having a Mexico
international, one of the biggest-name
Mexico internationals at that – can only
bolster the club’s standing in the Spanish-
speaking community. It adds an extra
narrative to the Los Angeles derby with LA
FC, pitting Hernandez against national team
colleague Carlos Vela, and the arguments
over who the best Mexico playing in LA
have already started.
That’ll get tiresome long before the players
meet on opposite sides of El Trafico but
the signing of Hernandez is undoubtedly
a positive – for LA Galaxy and MLS as a
whole.THE BAD
It’s the 25th year of Major League Soccer
this season and, as expected, the league
will be celebrating its relatively-short but
storied history.
The festivities started at the beginning of
February with the unveiling of the kits the
teams would be wearing this season. This
was a much-anticipated moment. Would
teams be wearing throwback jerseys
inspired by those seen in the league’s
inaugural season? Would they have retro
club crests to show how the branding has
developed in the past quarter-century
[except at New England Revolution]?
Would there be some other innovation toThe claims that
Hernandez is using MLS
as a retirement home
were inevitable, but
it’s a move that makes
sense.
THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY