SECOND & GOAL : Added Depth Gives the Galaxy a Realistic Shot at Returning to MLS Championship Game

Scribbled on a blackboard in a Rose Bowl locker room Wednesday afternoon, the names and nicknames immediately caught the eye: Semi, Fraser, Cal, Hurtado.

Anyone who went within an “ole” or two of the stadium last summer knows who they are: Mark Semioli, Robin Fraser, Dan Calichman and Eduardo Hurtado--Galaxy players each and every one.

But then there were all those other names scrawled in chalk: Welton, Pena, Machon, Taylor, J.J.

Who are these guys?

In the five months since the Galaxy lost Major League Soccer’s first championship game to Washington D.C. United, a transformation has taken place.

And when the teams meet again, at the Rose Bowl on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in their MLS season opener--”a grudge match,” the hype merchants call it--it will be a tougher, faster, more durable Galaxy team that takes the field.

A team that is favored, despite Coach Lothar Osiander’s protestations, to win the league championship in its second try.

Squinting into the sunlight on the Rose Bowl field Wednesday while watching a few of his newcomers limber up, Osiander downplayed the off-season moves.

“Oh, on paper we’re stronger than last year,” he conceded, “but we have to see the competitive situation, then we can tell whether we are or not.”

Osiander likes to play everything close to the vest, but even he can’t hide a smile of satisfaction at his new-look roster.

A quick introduction to some of the newcomers:

--Midfielder Martin Machon, 26, comes courtesy of Guatemala’s national team, and many of the 30,000 to 40,000 fans expected Saturday night will be there to see how he fits into the Osiander jigsaw puzzle.

“He likes to come clean out of the back [and join in the attack],” the coach said. “He looks for [Mauricio] Cienfuegos, they like to play together, they think the same way. So he’s a good addition.”

--Defender Danny Pena, 28, comes via an alphabet soup of former minor league and indoor teams in the MSL, APSL, CISL, WSL, NPSL, WSA, CSL and, for all we know, the ETC. Born in Culver City, he has plied his trade in Los Angeles, Wichita, San Jose, Edmonton, Cincinnati and anywhere else the sport’s changing fortunes took him.

Now, he comes home.

“We needed him all year last year because he’s got that nastiness in midfield to stick it to people when he has to. He’s a good leader,” Osiander said. “Everyone listens. He commands the team from midfield on up and Calichman provides the rest [of the leadership] at the back.”

--Forward Welton, 21, comes from Brazil via the New England Revolution. Traded to the Galaxy, he brings with him a slight build, a fast pair of legs and an ability to finish.

“He has good speed, good ball control and a lot of individual effort,” Osiander said. “When he gets to run at the opponent, he’s good at that.

“He’s looked very good in training. Now we’ll have to see how he does when someone [an opposing defender] takes a whack at him.”

--Defender Paul Caligiuri, 33, comes via the strangest route of all, a lawsuit that forced the league to honor his original contract and allow him to play in his hometown.

“I’ve known him for 10 years [since coaching him in the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games],” Osiander said. “When he wants to be, he’s a quality player. I think he had a good season [with the Columbus Crew] last year. I suppose he’s disappointed he isn’t playing with the [U.S.] national team anymore.

“I’m going to look at him, that’s all. If he fits with me, then we’ll keep him. If he doesn’t fit, then we’ll find another place for him.”

Caligiuri arrives in town today from Ohio, in time for the Galaxy kickoff rally at 7:30 p.m. in Old Pasadena.

--And then there is the supporting cast of newcomers: goalkeeper Kevin Hartman of UCLA; forward John “J.J.” Jones of Sacramento State; midfielder Steve Jolley of William & Mary and, most notably, forward Bryan Taylor of Fresno State.

Taylor, who has impressed Osiander in training, is battling Welton and Harut Karapetyan for a starting spot alongside Hurtado and Cobi Jones on the forward line.

“He can run forever; I like him,” Osiander said. “He goes where it hurts, where the other three don’t go. They stay away from that [physical] stuff. But his technical ability is not what Jones’ is or Hurtado’s is or, for sure, what Welton’s is.”

The Galaxy probably won’t match last season’s 12-0 start--or last year’s midseason slump. The reason is depth.

“I think the bench is incredible this year,” Osiander said. “I’m not even scared of losing players [to injury or the inevitable World Cup qualifying commitments with various national teams].

“There’ll be a battle for starting positions this year because there are about six guys on the bench who can fit right in.”

All is not rosy, naturally, and the main question mark hanging over the season is the status of goalkeeper Jorge Campos, who has been nursing a mysterious knee injury for several months.

“Jorge hasn’t played since Dec. 10,” Osiander said. “And I don’t think he’s got much interest in playing, either. But he’s been training and supposedly he’s starting this weekend [for Atlante in the Mexican League] against Guadalajara.

“On paper it looks as if they [Atlante] are going to make the playoffs, so it will be the end of April, middle of May, at the earliest before he comes back here.”

So, for the first quarter of the season, it will be David Kramer in the nets, but the former Fresno State goalkeeper has the advantage of having a much stronger defense in front of him than last year.

Osiander will probably play a 3-4-3 formation, switching to a 4-4-2 when necessary.

Semioli, Fraser and Calichman will make up the back line, with Pena just in front of them and charged with foiling the opposing team’s playmaker.

“In the midfield, we’ll probably go with Pena, Cienfuegos, [Chris] Armas and Machon,” Osiander said.

Up front, “El Tanque” Hurtado, who led the team with 21 regular-season goals in 1996, will be flanked by Cobi Jones on the right and probably Welton on the left.

But the overworked Jones has not been at his best for some time, so the door is open for change.

“I think Cobi’s been struggling since the middle of last year,” Osiander agreed. “He started out on fire. I thought he was outstanding for us, but then he got sort of into a stalemate.

“He’s in good spirits and he knows how to pace himself, but he surely could use a month off. So we’ll see. He needs to get away from the game for a while.”

Osiander, low-balling his team’s chances, believes a fast start is unlikely and a 12-0 beginning is out of the question.

“I doubt it very much,” he said. “I think it’ll be a slow start for us this year. We didn’t have a particularly good preseason, I didn’t have all the players, I didn’t have the right opponents.

“So I think we’ll be in form maybe eight or 10 games into the season.”

The Galaxy led the league in total and average attendance last year and with the on-field changes and off-field improvements should do so again.

Crowds averaged 28,916 in 1996, and General Manager Danny Villanueva expects to do as well this season. The addition of the “Soccer Celebration,” a free interactive soccer fair with food, souvenir and game booths outside the Rose Bowl before weekend games, will help.

The Galaxy also is arranging several games against international opponents, including one in May against Aston Villa of England’s Premier League.

Then there are the four minor league teams affiliated with the Galaxy that Osiander can draw on if it needs help--the Orange County Zodiac, the Sacramento Knights, the Albuquerque Chiles and the Minnesota Thunder.

Some players might be sent down to those teams, but Osiander probably won’t bring anyone up from the minor leagues. He already has written enough new names on that blackboard.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

GALAXY ROSTER

*--*

No.NAME P HOMETOWN, COLLEGE 14 Chris Armas M Brentwood, N.Y.; Adelphi 6 Dan Calichman D Huntington Station, N.Y.; Williams 21 Paul Caligiuri D Walnut; UCLA 9 Jorge Campos G Acapulco 10 Mauricio Cienfuegos M San Salvador, El Salvador 4 Robin Fraser D Denver; Florida International 22 Kevin Hartman G Palos Verdes; UCLA 29 Eduardo Hurtado F Esmeraldas, Ecuador 12 Guillermo Jara M Sacramento; San Diego 13 Cobi Jones M Westlake Village; UCLA 20 John Jones F Folsom, Calif.; Sacramento State 15 Steve Jolley M Virginia Beach, Va.; William & Mary 11 Harut Karapetyan F Van Nuys 1 David Kramer G Cupertino, Calif.; Fresno State 5 Martin Machon D/M Guatemala City; San Carlos 2 Danny Pena D/M Culver City 17 Ante Razov F Fontana; UCLA 3 Mark Semioli D Palo Alto; Stanford 7 Andrew Shue M Los Angeles; Dartmouth 16 Bryan Taylor F Hanford, Calif.; Fresno State 18 Greg Vanney D/M Tempe, Ariz.; UCLA 19 Welton M/F Cambuci, Brazil 8 Brad Wilson M El Toro; Cal State Fullerton

*--*

GALAXY 1997 SCHEDULE

APRIL

Saturday, 7:30 p.m., WASHINGTON; April 5, 5:30 p.m. (Channel 5), at Kansas City; April 12, 7:30 p.m. (Fox Sports West), at San Jose; April 18, 7:30 p.m., COLORADO; April 26, 7:30 p.m., DALLAS.

MAY

May 2, 4:30 p.m. (FSW), at Washington; May 4, noon (Univision), at New York/New Jersey; May 10, 5:30 p.m. (FSW), at Kansas City; May 18, 4:30 p.m., SAN JOSE; May 25, 7:30 p.m., COLUMBUS; May 31, 7:30 p.m., KANSAS CITY.

JUNE

June 8, noon (Univision) at New England; June 15, 4:30 p.m., TAMPA BAY; June 21, 6 p.m., at Colorado (replay: June 22, 4 p.m., FSW); June 28, 4:30 p.m. (Channel 5) at Tampa Bay.

JULY

July 4, 7:30 p.m., NEW ENGLAND; July 12, 7:30 p.m., WASHINGTON; July 20, noon (Univision), at New York/New Jersey MetroStars; July 25, 5:30 p.m. (FSW) at Dallas; July 27, noon (Univision) at Colorado.

AUGUST

Aug. 2, 7:30 p.m., COLUMBUS; Aug. 9, 4:30 p.m. (Channel 5), at Washington; Aug. 14, 4:30 p.m. (FSW), at New England; Aug. 17, 4:30 p.m., SAN JOSE; Aug. 23, 7 p.m. (ESPN2), COLORADO; Aug. 30, 4:30 p.m. (Channel 5), at Columbus.

SEPTEMBER

Sept. 4, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2), NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY; Sept. 7, noon, TAMPA BAY; Sept. 14, noon (Univision), at Dallas; Sept. 19, 7:30 p.m., DALLAS; Sept. 21, noon (Univision), at San Jose; Sept. 28, 5 p.m. (ESPN2), KANSAS CITY.

Home games in CAPS; all times Pacific.

1996 Galaxy Highlights

* Major League Soccer championship game runner-up.

* Western Conference champion.

* 19-13 record was second best in the league.

* 12-0 start is all-time best for a first-year professional team.

* Led MLS with total attendance of 462,655.

* Led MLS in average attendance at 28,916.

* Jorge Campos’ 1.20 goals-against average led the league.

* Eduardo Hurtado was third in MLS scoring with 21 goals.