| | Associated Press
PASADENA, Calif. -- Major League Soccer completed the deal Tuesday to bring high-scoring Mexican forward Luis Hernandez to the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Team president Tim Leiweke called Hernandez "one of the most
important and best ever" players to join the 5-year-old league.
Hernandez signed a multiyear contract with MLS. Terms of the
contract and amount of the transfer fee paid to Tigres, Hernandez's
Mexican First Division team, were not disclosed under league
policy.
"I'm very excited to be joining the Galaxy to play in Major
League Soccer," Hernandez told league officials in a telephone
call from Monterrey, Mexico. "It's been a dream of mine to make it
big in the United States. The time is right for me to move on and
experience soccer outside of Mexico."
Hernandez is scheduled to join the Galaxy on Friday. If he passes a physical, he is expected to make his MLS debut Saturday night when the Galaxy play host to defending champion D.C. United at the Rose Bowl.
"It's a personal challenge for me to be successful in Major
League Soccer," Hernandez said. "I'm happy to be going to a city
I am very familiar with. I love Los Angeles and look forward to
scoring many goals for the great fans of Southern California."
Under MLS' single-entity structure, all players sign contracts
with the league. Players of Hernandez's stature are then assigned
to teams.
Because the Galaxy were not due to be allocated a player, they
agreed to make midfielder Clint Mathis and defender Joe Franchino
available to all 11 other MLS teams for a special draft.
The New York/New Jersey MetroStars had the first choice in the
draft based on it having the fewest points in the league over the
past 32 matches and selected Mathis. The New England Revolution
then chose Franchino.
The Galaxy will also have to relinquish one of their four other
foreign players to stay under MLS' salary cap and foreign-player
limitations. Costa Rican midfielder Roy Myers is expected to be
that player, likely returning to the MetroStars, which traded him
to the Galaxy last season.
The 31-year-old Hernandez was Mexico's player of the year in
1997 and 1998. He spent the last four seasons with the
Monterrey-based Tigres, scoring 38 goals in 64 matches. His 13
goals during the recently completed 2000 summer season were the
second-highest figure in the league.
Hernandez's 35 goals for Mexico's national team ties former Galaxy forward Carlos Hermosillo for the team record.
"He is a unique player whose on-field ability and dynamic
personality are matched by few players throughout the world," said
MLS executive vice president Ivan Gazidis who negotiated with
Hernandez's representatives and Tigres officials for more than a
month.
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