Hernandez Makes His Goals Known

Is Luis Hernandez a “$4-million flop,” as one Major League Soccer assistant coach recently suggested, or is he simply passing through?

On Tuesday, Hernandez, who has yet to score a goal for the Galaxy, made it quite plain why he chose to leave Tigres of the Mexican first division and come to Los Angeles.

“There are a lot of reasons,” he said, “but one of the main ones is that MLS gives me a better chance to actually play in Europe. It enhances the possibilities of my joining a European team.”

There were rumors when Hernandez signed a three-year contract with the league last month that MLS might lend him to a European club in the off-season, but the Mexican striker’s comments Tuesday were the first indication that an active search for a club is in progress.

“I’m interested in playing for any competitive European team,” he said. “Currently, there are talks underway with a club in Europe, but I’m not free to disclose what team that is.”

Rafael Marquez, Mexican national and Olympic team defender currently with AS Monaco in France, has been rumored heading for FC Barcelona in Spain, and Hernandez has been linked to the Catalan club.

“I don’t know anything about that,” Hernandez said. “I can’t let my imagination run wild. I need to concentrate on the Galaxy and just hope for the best as far as my European ambitions are concerned.”

If he is to join a European team, it probably will be sooner rather than later. Hernandez is 31 and his appeal is not going to grow along with his age. But first he needs to recapture his goal-scoring touch.

In 447 minutes of MLS play for the Galaxy, plus an additional 90 minutes of U.S. Open Cup play, Hernandez has not scored a single goal. His shooting has been, for the most part, off target.

Galaxy statistics show that the striker nicknamed “El Matador” has taken only 19 shots in five MLS games and that only five of them were on target.

“I simply need to keep working with my teammates,” he said. “They need to learn my style of play and my movements on the field. Obviously, I cannot do this alone.

“It’s basically a lack of adequate passing. I’m only getting sporadic passes and they’re not the same quality or quantity that I was used to in Mexico.”

Hernandez is quickly learning that MLS is not the Mexican first division.

“There are many differences,” he said. “In Mexico, we live the passion of soccer, we all know soccer. There are many tactical differences. There are differences in the way the teams play. By and large, a lot of the teams here play the same style.

“The style of soccer played in MLS is very fast and very physical. It didn’t surprise me and I don’t think it’s better than I expected. There is a lot of room for growth. One of the things MLS soccer is missing is salt--it’s kind of tasteless. It needs more flavor and a little more savvy.”

After a recent 1-0 victory over the Galaxy in Denver, Colorado Rapids’ assistant coach Rene Miramontes referred to Hernandez as “the $4-million flop.”

It is far too soon to make that sort of judgment, as Phil Anschutz, who owns the Galaxy, the Rapids and tonight’s Galaxy opponent, the Chicago Fire, is likely to remind Miramontes.

“I’ve adapted well,” Hernandez said of his move to Los Angeles. “This is a new stage in my career. With the city, everything is going well. With the team, I’m getting to know my teammates and they’re getting to know me. I feel I’m making progress.”

But toward what goal, exactly? That’s what Galaxy fans are left wondering.