The LA Galaxy welcomed several faces back to their lineup for Sunday's El Trafico loss against LAFC on Sunday but there was one very notable omission as star striker Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez was nowhere to be found in the matchday squad.
The Galaxy's game notes listed Hernandez as out with an unspecified injury. He did not appear on their injury report earlier in the week. Colombian attacker Yony Gonzalez got the start at the top of head coach Guillermo Barros Schelotto's 4-2-3-1 formation.
Following the game, Barros Schelotto indicated that Hernanadez had picked up the injury in Thursday's training session and that he was hopeful the Mexican striker would be back for Wednesday's trip to Portland.
"He got injured in training, I think on Thursday," Barros Schelotto told reporters. "He felt something wrong and then went out. We waited for him Friday and Saturday but he didn’t feel very well. He will try [to train] tomorrow and already will play in Portland. If it doesn’t work, we might do an MRI to know what is happening with him."
Hernandez, who carved out a career as an elite goalscorer at the highest levels in Europe and with the Mexican national team, has not lived up to expectations since his move from Sevilla in January. He has put up just one goal in 692 minute (seven starts, 10 total appearances) while the Galaxy have sunk to the bottom of the Western Conference. In their most recent outing, he came off the bench as the Galaxy picked up a potentially season-saving 1-0 win against Vancouver.
Chicharito's absence meant he missed another chance at taking on compatriot Carlos Vela, who made his return to LAFC's matchday squad for the first time in two months and scored a goal on his return.
