Galaxy’s Hermosillo Can Do Little but Sit and Wait Tonight
The game was already lost when Carlos Hermosillo lunged for the ball.
The Galaxy was down by three goals to D.C. United Friday night when Hermosillo tried to stop John Harkes from breaking free along the flank. His rough tackle sent the United midfielder tumbling.
“That’s not my way of playing,” Hermosillo said. “Obviously, I was not happy with the way things were going.”
Things got worse. With the current crackdown on tackling from behind, Hermosillo drew a red card and must sit out tonight’s game against the Tampa Bay Mutiny at Houlihan’s Stadium. He will have notable company on the sideline.
Tampa Bay goalkeeper Thomas Ravelli is serving a six-game suspension for a more egregious infraction.
After surrendering a penalty-kick goal in a 3-2 loss to the New England Revolution on July 4, Ravelli booted the ball squarely at referee Ruben Rodhas, striking him in the legs.
This is the same player who screamed at his defenders during a 5-1 loss to the Galaxy at the Rose Bowl last April. His temper has grown shorter with each loss of a 5-14 season.
“It was an angry moment,” Mutiny Coach Tim Hankinson said. “Any player gets frustrated when it has been an up-and-down season.”
There is little comparison between Ravelli’s outburst and Hermosillo’s foul. But like Ravelli, the Galaxy striker is new to Major League Soccer. And like Ravelli, he faces great expectations.
Hermosillo came to Los Angeles from the Mexican first division in a much-publicized deal last month. One of his country’s all-time leading scorers, he has yet to notch a goal in five games with the Galaxy.
“Obviously it hasn’t clicked for me or the team,” he said. “I haven’t had many scoring opportunities.”
In Mexico, Hermosillo would plant his 6-foot-2, 180-pound body in front of the goal, then wait for teammates to loft passes into the penalty box.
But the Galaxy likes to play with motion, with short passes and quickness down the wings. So Hermosillo often finds himself receiving the ball in the open field where his strength is of little use. He has looked slow, if not awkward, at times.
“If I’m not getting the ball up [in the penalty box], I can’t do my job of putting it into the back of the net,” he said.
Galaxy Coach Octavio Zambrano is preaching patience. He believes any player needs time to adjust to a new team, and vice versa.
But Hermosillo has only so much patience. The last thing he wants is to miss a game. The last thing he needs is more time to think about his problems.
“I’m definitely anxious to get the first goal,” he said. “It hasn’t come the way I wanted.”
