The LA Galaxy have had an average regular season by their standards. Yet somehow, they’ve found themselves in the MLS Cup playoffs for the first time in two seasons.
It has been a long and difficult road to this point. Fans have been disgruntled with the front office and in particular, Chris Klein. They have felt his transfer business has been less than average from before the Zlatan chapter.
Despite designated players like, Kévin Cabral being more than disappointing and Douglas Costa not delivering enough on the high expectations, the five-star winning side have found some decent form towards the end of the season and are locked in for a Western Conference semi-final versus their rivals, LAFC.
Recent acquisitions like Gastón Brugman and Riqui Puig seem to have dug Klein and the club out of a massive hole and are a major reason for making the playoffs. They’ve meshed in beautifully and made a huge difference on the pitch. And the continual drive and scoring ability of Mexican legend, Javier Hernández, the club are in an improbable position to fight for the biggest prize of all…a championship.
With all the challenges this team has faced, Hernández is loving the position the team is in and post playoff win versus, Nashville he shared his usual enthusiasm and positivity. There’s no doubt his leadership has been integral to their journey thus far and once again, he reminded us all that football is fun. The beloved “Chicharito” is definitely all in on the ride! Listen to his comments via the link below.
A five-star team always needs five-star calibre players.
The Galaxy have signed many great players over the years and these signings have resulted in a true evolution of Major League soccer at domestic and international level. The most notable of course is, David Beckham. He elevated and changed the game in the United States like no other football player. Beckham helped garner more eyeballs on Major League Soccer and was the nucleus to bringing in more sponsorships and collaborations with big brands that added commercial value to multiple cities and business across the country. He sold tickets. He put bums on seats. And when LA Galaxy signed him, it changed the game forever.
In addition to Beckham, there was of course homegrown talent like, Landon Donovan. Undoubtedly the poster boy for American soccer since his teens, he also became an LA Galaxy captain and legend. Donovan was the connectivity to American culture, the growth of the game and had a huge influence even when big name European players joined the club. He formed an incredible partnership with Robbie Keane and after a dodgy start with Beckham, they found their way and formed one of the most prolific on field relationships in MLS history. But all great things come to an end. And once again LA Galaxy found themselves in a place to to replace legends like Beckham, Donovan and fan favourite, Robbie Keane. Enter the era of Zlatan!
Zlatan arrived with huge fanfare. He even took out an entire page in the LA Times thanking himself and telling Angelinos they were welcome that he was in their city! The bravado was nothing short of what we would expect from the self-proclaimed lion. He lit up MLS immediately and he was the catalyst for infusing a true rivalry with noisy neighbours, LAFC. The lion roared and the Galaxy fans loved every second of it.
Zlatan however decided he had one more chapter to write in Europe. He had left such a huge footprint in Los Angeles that replacing him would probably be one of the hardest tasks of all for this great MLS club. Once again, they had a trump card to play, but this time, would it work?
Enter Javier Hernández, aka Chicharito, the beloved Mexican legend who could now become a new hero in Los Angeles, especially with the large community of Hispanic fans who adore the Galaxy. He had every ingredient to make this one of the most special signings in the club’s history. After all, he played for Manchester United, Real Madrid and other great clubs across Europe and has always been a star for country. But not all stars shine brightly right away. Sometimes it takes a journey in order to find a new place on this earth to shine.
As we look towards the new season, we couldn’t help but rewind to the excitement, hoopla and pizazz in LA when Chicharito did arrive. There was so much hope and many believed this signing was the right move to follow the legend that is Zlatan. With that said, not all moves are seamless or easy. It’s tough moving to a new country and team. When you’ve known something to be a certain way for years, it’s only human to feel challenged with a new environment. And imagine having the hopes of a nation and city on your shoulders too?
Everyone will agree Chicharito’s debut in MLS was hugely disappointing. But he’s been fighting his way back to fitness and form and has elevated his engagement in the task at hand during the off season. Can he dethrone the current golden boy and ex-Arsenal man, Carlos Vela? Only time will tell. One thing is for sure, we cannot wait for kick-off and everyone who is a part of the LAG community is rooting for Chicharito to shine as bright as the five stars on the Galaxy shirt!
I returned for my resident stint on the epic Corner of the Galaxy show. Tough conversations were had about star signing and Mexico legend, Chicharito. This is not an easy task, especially when all you want to do is wax lyrical about his performances since arriving in Los Angeles. The story hasn’t gone according to plan, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late to change the narrative.
Like I mentioned on my Talksport segment last week, I live in hope that Chicharito will come good. Fitness is one of his biggest challenges and there is no doubt his transition to the United States from Europe has not gone as smoothly as he had hoped. Change in life is never easy and just because you’ve been a global athlete with huge success, doesn’t automatically mean everything falls into place immediately.
My honesty may seem harsh to some, but when you arrive with such fanfare, the fans expect to see an end product on the pitch. Whether or not the team around Chicharito is good enough isn’t up for debate right now, because he isn’t good enough…for now! With that said, he has played for some of the most revered clubs in Europe and been a star for his country. My money is on him having a resurgence and proving folks like me and many others wrong.
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