The Los Angeles Galaxy is welcoming back Mexican forward Luis Hernandez for SaturdayÆs game against Dallas. Hernandez is available because of his Mexican teamÆs — Club America — elimination from the Mexican playoffs at the semifinal stage. Hernandez finished the Mexican season with an 810-minute scoreless streak. He and Galaxy coach Sigi Schmid discuss expectations for El Matador in his second MLS season. Hernandez, opening remarks “IÆm arriving with a great desire to help the club as much as I can.ö How long will you stay with the Galaxy? “I will be with the Galaxy through the end of this MLS season. I hope we make it to the final and more, and then I will return to Club America.” Will you play in the FIFA Club World Championship? “Yes. If I am in the plans, of course, I will play it. It would give me personal satisfaction to play it, too.” Schmid, opening remarks: “We are obviously very, very excited and looking forward to Luis’ return. This being his second season it will be easier than the first. He knows our team, he knows our city now. This should make things a lot easier for him. “Being able to get one of the premier goalscorers in the world to help our team win games and make a run at the championship of MLS and also a good showing at the Club World Championship in Spain is something we eagerly look forward to.” Schmid on his relationship with Hernandez: ôOur relationship is good. During his national team’s visit to Los Angeles we have always found time to meet. We met recently in early April in L.A. We look forward to working with him this season and for us to have a lot of success together.” Hernandez on his relationship with Schmid “Good. It’s a relationship of friends, coach and player. There are no problems. All is fine.” Hernandez on his expected contributions for the Galaxy this year: “Play well. Give it my all in all the games. And hopefully with that the goals and all the other good things will come.” Hernandez on the FIFA Club World Championship “I feel great about going to such an important tournament. Personally, it will be a pleasure to play against teams from Spain and other parts of the world.” Hernandez on whether he wants to improve this year: “Of course. I am always looking to improve. We are not perfect, but certainly, I am looking forward to building on last season. I know MLS soccer better. I look forward to taking advantage of that.” Hernandez on facing the Dallas Burn: “I scored my first goal against them. Let’s hope I can score against them again.” Schmid on MLSÆs mandated 18-player rosters and how it may affect his club’s performance in MLS and the FIFA tournament “That is the rule. We have 18 players plus two Project 40 players. Those are the rules we must live by. If we can stay injury-free we can be in a position to compete well in both competitions.” Schmid. Offseason situation with Hernandez: “There was some uncertainty at a point, obviously, with the Cobi Jones situation and the renewal of his contract. We knew that once Cobi re-signed we would be over the salary budget. There were a number of teams that spoke to us and we spoke to them about all of our higher salaried players. Which obviously, Luis is one of, and others like Mauricio Cienfuegos and Robin Fraser and Cobi. We had to move a significant player in order to comply with the salary cap. At the end the player we ended up trading was Robin Fraser [to Colorado]. Those are things that happened in early season. All of them had to do with the salary budget.” Knowing what you [Schmid] know now, what are your thoughts about the trade that brought Luis while Clint Mathis went to New York? “Getting Luis Hernandez into the league was something very important to the Los Angeles Galaxy and to MLS itself. We had to give up a fairly substantial price in order to do that as it turns out now with the development of Clint Mathis. It is something that you cannot look back, because if you look back you can never go forward. ôIt’s a situation where what we did is what we felt was best for the Los Angeles Galaxy and best for MLS and we have to move forward with that.” The Galaxy defensive line is shaky. What are your [Schmid] plans to address this? “His assessment is correct. The defense has not played well so far this season when you look at the amounts of goals we have surrendered. We switched to four in the back. We have talked about it and I think we can resolve the problems we had in Tampa Bay with counterattacks. And I look forward to us playing much better defense in the near future. Without defense you don’t win championships.” Hernandez went through a spell of over 800 minutes without a goal. What can you [Schmid] tell him to motivate Luis, to give him confidence that he can regain this form? “There is nothing that would make him and the Los Angeles Galaxy happier than for him to regain his goalscoring touch with our team and also to put himself back into the picture for the Mexican national team. ItÆs just a matter of us as a team providing him with the service that he needs. Him providing us with the finishing that we need and hopefully those two things will meet together. “I am looking forward to the energy and the work rate that he brings up front and his ability to occupy defenders from the opposition.” What have you [Hernandez] learned from Schmid? “More than learning. He has given me advice on how to interact with my teammates.” What are your [Hernandez] aspirations this year with the Galaxy? “Going to the U.S. to rejoin the Galaxy will be a way for me revitalize myself with what I like: soccer. Hopefully, with the help of my teammates I can score many goals.” Club America did not protect you in the upcoming Mexican league draft. … ôI have a two-year contract with America. I will wait to hear from him (America’s president). I don’t pay attention to rumors.ö Hernandez on his 810-minute scoreless drought with Club America: These are streaks that happen. It happens to all forwards. The goals will come. With the Galaxy? ôThat is what I hope for, what I expect.ö “Everything is based on hard work. It’s a job I still enjoy greatly. I aim to do well for the Galaxy.” Hernandez. Do you have respect for MLS? “Of course I have great respect for the league. I have respect for everyone, my teammates, and the opponents. ItÆs very physical, fast, and I want to adapt to it as fast as I can.”