- Chicharito suffers injury blow
- Tore ACL during Open Cup clash
- Galaxy enduring testing season
WHAT HAPPENED? Hernandez was forced off just 27 minutes into Galaxy's U.S. Open Cup defeat to Real Salt Lake on Thursday, being replaced by Dejan Joveljic. The club have since revealed the extent of his injury and the prognosis is not good.
WHAT THEY SAID? The MLS side confirmed the news in a club statement released on Friday, which read: "The LA Galaxy today announced that forward Javier 'Chicharito' Hernández sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee during the club’s 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinal match against Real Salt Lake on June 7. Hernández will undergo surgery on a date to be determined to begin the rehabilitation process."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: The injury is the latest blow in what has been a terrible start to the season for Galaxy, as they currently sit bottom of the Eastern Conference with just 12 points from their first 15 games. Speaking exclusively to GOAL recently, Hernandez had expressed hope that the team would turn the corner, but he will now likely be watching the rest of the season from the sidelines.
IN TWO PHOTOS:
Next Match
WHAT NEXT? Galaxy will have to fare without their captain during their next MLS game, which is against high-flying St. Louis on Sunday.