Galaxy Out to Show It’s a Champion

Improbable as it may seem for a team struggling to reach Major League Soccer’s playoffs, the Galaxy is 90 minutes away from being champion of all of North and Central America and the Caribbean.

A victory today over Cruz Azul of Mexico at RFK Stadium in Washington would earn the Galaxy the CONCACAF Champions’ Cup, making it the region’s top club team. The game will be broadcast live at 10 a.m. PDT on Channel 34.

The Galaxy reached the final by defeating defending MLS champion Washington D.C. United, 1-0, on Friday at RFK Stadium. Cobi Jones scored in the 10th minute.

“This doesn’t make up for our loss to D.C. United in MLS Cup ’96 [last year’s league championship game],” interim Coach Octavio Zambrano said, “but it’s a good start. As for Cruz Azul, it won’t be an easy match. They’re a solid team all the way round.”

Cruz Azul advanced to the championship game with a 3-2 victory over Mexican League champion Chivas of Guadalajara on Friday.

Today’s game puts Galaxy goalkeeper Jorge Campos, who in the semifinal handed D.C. United its first home shutout of the season, in the peculiar position of having to play against the team he will be playing for in a couple of months.

Campos has signed with Cruz Azul and will join the club as soon as the Galaxy season is over. Cruz Azul, the defending CONCACAF Champions’ Cup titlist, is led by Mexican national team striker Carlos Hermosillo.

In the third-place game preceding the final, D.C. United faces Chivas.