Javier ‚Chicharito‘ Hernandez will be absent for the LA Galaxy’s first match of the 2023 MLS season against arch-rivals LAFC.

The Galaxy take on the defending MLS Cup and Supporters‘ Shield champions in a glamor tie at the Rose Bowl on Saturday to open the new campaign and even at this stage, both teams will put everything on the line for local bragging rights.

However, the Galaxy’s hopes of victory have taken a serious hit with the news that Chicharito will be unable to feature after the former Mexico international missed training on Thursday with hamstring discomfort.

“It’s not trending like he will be available,” Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney confirmed to reporters, adding: “But we’re still working day to day to see what will happen. We still [are] trying to get some clarity and some imaging and stuff like that, just to see what we’re fully dealing with.”

The injury appears to have stemmed from the Galaxy’s preseason match against the Portland Timbers on February 12, with Chicharito withdrawn after just three minutes as a precaution.

“That’s when he initially started to feel the symptoms,” Vanney explained in reference to the Portland game. “Last week we held him out because it was a hamstring irritation, more or less – there wasn’t any sign of something significant. As he worked back into training, he started to still feel a little bit off. And so again, just trying to review back where maybe something is or if something new [happened].”