GALAXY TONIGHT
Opponent--Tampa Bay Mutiny.
Site--Houlihan’s Stadium, Tampa, Fla.
Time--4:30 PDT.
TV--Channel 5.
Radio--KTNQ (1020).
Records--Galaxy 4-10, Mutiny 7-8.
Record vs. Mutiny--1-0.
Galaxy update--With playmaker Mauricio Cienfuegos and forward Cobi Jones playing in the El Salvador-United States World Cup ’98 qualifying game Sunday at San Salvador, interim Coach Octavio Zambrano will start Brazilian striker Welton and midfielder Guillermo Jara in their place. Jara has played in five of the Galaxy’s 14 matches, starting one. Welton has played in 13, starting five. Striker Eduardo Hurtado returns from the Copa America tournament in Bolivia to make his first start for fellow Ecuadorean Zambrano. Hurtado (one goal) and Welton (two goals, one assist) will be counted on to make up for the lost firepower caused by Jones and Cienfuegos’ absence. The latter two have scored or assisted on 11 of the team’s league-low 14 goals. The Galaxy trounced the Mutiny, 4-1, at the Rose Bowl on June 8 but is 0-7 on the road.
Mutiny update--Coach John Kowalski’s team rebounded from its drubbing in Pasadena by defeating the San Jose Clash, 3-1, in Tampa. One noteworthy development in that game was that Roy Lassiter scored one of the goals, only his second of the year. Last season’s MLS scoring champion (27 goals in 30 regular-season games) has been hampered by hamstring strains and a groin injury, but is now approaching full fitness. But Lassiter also is in El Salvador for Sunday’s World Cup game. Taking up the slack in his absence have been 1996 rookie of the year Steve Ralston (five goals, five assists), Italy’s Giuseppe Galderisi (four goals, five assists) and Alan Prampin (four goals). Two of Prampin’s goals were scored in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Western Conference-leading Wizards on Wednesday night in Kansas City. Galderisi will miss today’s game after having knee surgery on Tuesday. Colombian playmaker Carlos Valderrama, the 1996 league MVP, has a league-leading 10 assists and three goals.
