Mathis Could Be a Spark

By GRAHAME L. JONES

Oct. 7, 1998 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

He might be only 21, but Galaxy midfielder Clint Mathis is not shy when it comes to expressing his opinion.

On Tuesday, he was asked to look back--at his game-winning goal in Sunday’s Major League Soccer victory over the Dallas Burn--and ahead--to Saturday’s Game 1 of the Western Conference finals against the Chicago Fire.

The Galaxy and Fire split four games during the regular season, but the way Mathis sees it, Los Angeles can win two of three when it really counts.

“They’re great defensively,” he said. “They don’t allow a lot of goals and they’re real organized. They’re a role-playing team. They have defenders who mark players and that’s all they do. That’s their job and they do it very well.

“I think when our team’s playing the way it can, we’re able to beat any team in this league. But if we don’t play [well], any team in this league can beat us.

“I think we have the players and the ability [to win the best-of-three series]. If we go out there with our heads on and know what we want to accomplish, we can come out of this thing [on top]. We have to win three more games to be champions.”

Statistically, the Galaxy would seem to have a clear edge. In sweeping Dallas, it scored nine goals and gave up only three. Chicago scored only twice while sweeping the Colorado Rapids.

And two of its goals came on penalty kicks by Lubos Kubik, who is likely to be named MLS defender of the year, just as the player behind him, Zach Thornton, is likely to be selected goalkeeper of the year.

“He’s very good,” Thornton said of Kubik, a 6-foot-3 former national team player from the Czech Republic who has scored on all six penalty kicks he has taken this season. “He reads the keeper and puts the ball where he wants it. I wouldn’t want to face him.”

The Rapids, who reached the MLS championship game last season, fell at the first hurdle this time around. The Fire, an expansion team, has proved it belongs.

“As a team, they’re much quicker in speed of thought,” Colorado’s David Vaudreuil said. “They really turn in transition from defense to offense and back to defense. They get numbers around the ball.”

The Galaxy’s defense is no soft touch, either, having given up a league-low 44 goals in the regular season.

Ultimately, the difference between failure and success in this series is going to come down to two things:

* Can the Galaxy’s league-best offense break through the Fire’s back four and beat Thornton?

* Can Mathis be among those getting a goal or an assist?

If so, the prospects appear good.

After all, the Galaxy is 10-0 when Mathis scores a point.

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MLS PLAYOFFS

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

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