Photos courtesy of the LA Galaxy.
Chicharito was up to his old tricks against the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday night.
What a week it has been for Javier Chicharito Hernandez.
After a hot start to the season, Chicharito had sort of cooled off over the last month. Chicharito last scored a goal on May 15 against Austin FC, but got himself back on the scoresheet this past Wednesday in the LA Galaxy’s 2-1 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps. Then on Saturday, in the annual late June California Clasico matchup with the San Jose Earthquakes in Northern California, Chicharito put aside any doubt of a slump, as he scored two goals and the Galaxy emerged with a 3-1 over the Quakes at PayPal Park.
“I scored a quite early goal in the first half and then second goal in the second half and then we maintain the position,” Chicharito said. “We showed it today that we can have possessions and we can even kill some time with good possession. I think it was very well balance emotional game.”
Chicharito got things going in the 11th minute, as Samuel Grandsir sent a cross into the penalty area and Chicharito touched a ball inside the six-yard box that beat keeper James Marcinkowski far post. The Galaxy kept its lead at halftime, then Chicharito added to his tally and the Galaxy lead in the 50th minute, as he played a ball wide left to Kevin Cabral, who took a touch into the penalty area, then sent a cross into the six-yard box and Chicharito shot the ball past Marcinkowski near post to double the Galaxy lead. It became a three goal lead in the 70th minute, as Cameron Dunbar sent a cross into the six, Marcinkowski missed the ball completely, Florian Jungwirth did not miss the ball, but he sent the ball the wrong way for the Quakes, as the ball went into the back net for a Quakes own goal.
“I thought the third goal was important and it came against the run of it,” Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney said. “I think that took a lot of pressure off the final stretch.”
Now a three-goal lead on any other night would be more than enough to earn three points, but the Galaxy certainly had to know better than to count out the Quakes given the past history of this matchup, particularly at this time of year in Northern California. The Quakes had staged dramatic comeback wins over the Galaxy in the 2012 and 2013 matchups at Stanford Stadium. Sure enough, the Quakes got a goal back in the 82nd minute, as Eric Remedi took a quick restart corner kick and played a ball to Javier Lopez, who played a ball to Cade Clark, and Clark took a touch before he fired a left-footed shot that beat keeper Jonathan Bond. The Quakes could have actually made this match more competitive, but shots by Lopez and Andres Rios hit off the framework.
