Galaxy Begins Prepping for Playoffs

If Galaxy Coach Octavio Zambrano wants to do some fine-tuning or some experimenting on his team before the Major League Soccer playoffs, he has only a week in which to do so.

Some might think that a 23-7 record means that no such work is necessary, but as the Galaxy proved in a sloppy shootout victory over the San Jose Clash on Wednesday night, all is not well.

This afternoon, the teams meet again. For San Jose, the noon game at the Rose Bowl means little because the loss on Wednesday in San Jose eliminated the Clash from playoff contention. All that remains now is for individual players to try to save their jobs before the inevitable off-season house-cleaning.

For the Galaxy, however, the game means a good deal more than simply who gets bragging rights--the Galaxy or D.C. United--for having the best regular-season record.

It means the start of preparations for the playoffs, which, for the Galaxy, begin Oct. 1 at the Rose Bowl. The opponent is still up in the air--it could be Colorado, Dallas or Kansas City--but there are still questions about the Galaxy’s consistency.

The team tends to play down to the level of its opponents, and that can be a dangerous trait that can lead to upsets.

And there are glaring weaknesses among some of the players. For example:

* Defender Joey Franchino might be a player for the future, but his two-footed lunge against the Clash’s Victor Mella would have been a red card in any league where the refereeing is better than in MLS. Franchino is still too raw to be a starter.

* Midfielder Clint Mathis, meanwhile, showed in a game against the Miami Fusion this month that he needs to work on his shooting. At least four shots that should have been on target went astray.

* Forward Carlos Hermosillo continues to be an enigma. Sometimes he plays well, sometimes he is simply not a factor in the game.

If it is to reach the MLS championship game on Oct. 25, the Galaxy will have to do a better job hiding its weaknesses.