GALAXY TONIGHT
Opponent--Kansas City Wizards.
Site--Rose Bowl, Pasadena.
Time--5.
Radio--KTNQ (1020).
Records--Galaxy 15-16, Wizards 21-10.
Record vs Wizards--0-3.
Galaxy update--It all comes down to this one game, the regular-season finale, for Los Angeles. If it wins, it finishes second in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference and gains the home-field advantage for the first round of the playoffs against the Dallas Burn. If it loses, Dallas has the advantage in the best-of-three series, beginning next Sunday. The Galaxy will be without goalkeeper Jorge Campos and midfielder Mauricio Cienfuegos for that game. They will be playing against each other for Mexico and El Salvador, respectively, in a World Cup ’98 qualifier in Mexico City. As a result, Galaxy interim Coach Octavio Zambrano is considering giving backup keeper Kevin Hartman some playing time today to sharpen him for the playoff opener. Campos might miss the entire first round of the playoffs because Mexico plays Canada the following weekend. Los Angeles is 12-7 under Zambrano and has outscored its opponents, 44-28, in those games. The Galaxy, which has won five in a row, started out the season 3-9, so a 16-16 regular-season finish and a .500 record would be its high mark of the season. Cobi Jones will leave immediately after the game to join the U.S. national team for its World Cup ’98 qualifying game against Jamaica on Friday night at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.
Wizard update--Kansas City’s appearance at the Rose Bowl offers fans the final opportunity to see former Scotland national team defender Richard Gough, who last week accepted an offer to return to Scottish champion Glasgow Rangers, with whom he won nine consecutive national championships and now has a chance to win a 10th. “The offer to return to Ibrox was just too great an opportunity to bypass,” said Gough, whose defensive experience helped the Kansas City win the Western Conference title. The Wizards, led offensively by the duo of Preki (12 goals, 18 assists) and Mark Chung (10 goals, eight assists), have outscored the Galaxy, 7-3, in their three games this season. The Wizards are 9-6 on the road, tied with D.C. United for the best away record in the league. They own the league mark for most shootout victories at seven. The Wizards are 13-2 against conference opponents. Coach Ron Newman’s team opens its playoff series at home against the Colorado Rapids on Saturday. The teams met Friday night, with the Wizards winning, 5-2.
