Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez might be the biggest signing in Major League Soccer history. That narrative, and the subsequent debate that erupted because of it, dominated the offseason for the Los Angeles Galaxy, the team that has a habit of setting the trends in MLS, and the league as a whole.
But while Hernandez faces the daunting task of replicating Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s near goal-to-game strike-rate of his two years in the league, in reality, the Mexican superhero will not be the cornerstone of the LA Galaxy like his predecessor was.
Where Zlatan was the sole focal point for the LA Galaxy, almost single-handedly winning games for his team with outrageous goals that he routinely pulled out of thin air, Hernandez is a different type of centre-forward, and the Galaxy will have to play differently as a result.