HOBOKEN, N.J. – Hector Jimenez fought and clawed his way back into the Galaxy rotation after five games as an unused substitute earlier in the and now it is paying dividends.
Jimenez entered Saturday's 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Union as a substitute in the 72nd minute and promptly scored the second goal of his three-year MLS career in the 80th minute of LA’s victory. The goal comes amid a mini-renaissance for the 24-year-old as he has appeared in LA’s last four matches –including two starts—while notching a goal and an assist.
After missing out on five games from late-March to late-April, Jimenez was pleased to get on the scoreboard against the Union.
“It felt nice. It’s always nice to score and contribute like that off the bench,” Jimenez told LA Galaxy Insider. “It always feels great.”
Jimenez will likely be one of the prime beneficiaries of LA’s upcoming congested schedule that will see the Galaxy play four games in 15 days including a U.S. Open Cup tilt against either Carolina Dynamo or Carolina Railhawks on May 29.
“Hopefully, I'll play," said Jimenez. "I just have to keep getting myself ready and if my name gets called then I’ll go out there and contribute."
