Vergara: Chivas USA turned down Chicharito loan

Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez: Manchester United star, leading active Mexican international scorer and Chivas USA reject. That last bit is according to Jorge Vergara, who owns both Chivas USA and Chicharito's former club, Chivas Guadalajara.

During a press conference in Beverly Hills, Calif., Vergara offered an example of how the MLS club had become "divorced" from its parent organization, the Liga MX side.

"We had the idea to support Chivas USA by offering Chicharito," Vergara said through a translator. "But Preki and the past administration said he wasn't any good. I think they made a mistake a little bit."

Vergara later clarified that it would have been on a one-year loan.

"I hadn't heard that," MLS comissioner Don Garber said.

Preki coached Chivas USA from 2007 to 2009. He led the Goats to the playoffs for each of his three seasons in charge and was named MLS Coach of the Year in 2007, after taking over for the departed Bob Bradley and guiding Chivas USA to first place in the Western Conference.

At the time, Chicharito was a reserve player in Guadalajara and didn't score his second first division goal until 2009. In 2010 he went on the scoring spree that led him to Manchester United and the Mexican national team.

Vergara also mentioned the possibility of adding a Designated Player to Chivas USA's roster, a notion that Garber supported.

"I certainly hope they go after a big-name Mexican player," Garber said. "From a league perspective it'd be great to have a player like that on Chivas USA. The league would be very supportive of that. I hope that Jorge gets really focused on it soon. I think that would be a great statement that these guys are serious at approaching this perhaps a little bit differently than the approach in the past."

Neither discussed specific names, but surely the possibility for Hernandez to join the Los Angeles-based club has passed.

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