Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez's early-season goal-scoring tear for the LA Galaxy already has him in some historic company, and he'll have an opportunity to achieve another milestone when he takes the field for his team's Sunday matchup against the Seattle Sounders at Lumen Field (9 pm ET | FS1, FOX Deportes).
Hernandez has already tied with former Houston Dynamo FC star Brian Ching for the most goals ever scored by an MLS player through his team's first two games of the season with five, which Ching achieved during the 2006 season.
With two more goals against Seattle, Hernandez would break the record set by MLS legend Ante Razov, who scored six times in his first three games of the year for Chicago Fire FC back in 1999. Atlanta United's Josef Martinez, Ching and the Galaxy's Edson Buddle and Carlos Ruiz make up the rest of the list, all tied at five apiece.
Goals |
Player |
Team |
Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
6 |
Ante Razov |
CHI |
3/20/99 - 4/3/99 |
5 |
Josef Martinez |
ATL |
3/5/17- 3/18/17 |
5 |
Edson Buddle |
LA |
3/27/10 - 4/10/10 |
5 |
Brian Ching |
HOU |
4/2/06 - 4/15/06 |
5 |
Carlos Ruiz |
LA |
3/23/02 - 4/13/02 |
5 |
Javier Hernandez |
LA |
4/18/21 - |
It's been quite the turnaround so far for Hernandez in 2021, coming off a disappointing debut campaign in MLS that saw him score just two goals in 12 games. The longtime standout Mexico international only needed two games to pass that mark thanks to his season-opening brace against Inter Miami CF, which he followed up with a huge hat trick against the New York Red Bulls.
The Galaxy also won both those games, making them the only MLS team to take all six points from their first two matches, which is surely the statistic of most concern to first-year head coach Greg Vanney. But Chicharito's quest for history will certainly make for an interesting subplot for a matchup with a Seattle squad that represents a chief nemesis for the Galaxy in their quest for Western Conference superiority.
