Galaxy Has Big-Time Goals

On his final day as a Galaxy player, Robin Fraser was in a philosophical mood.

Reflecting on his five years with the Major League Soccer team, Fraser noted how many of his former teammates had moved to other MLS clubs.

“Myself and some of the other castaways have made jokes that if we put together a team of players that the Galaxy has traded away we could probably win the league,” Fraser said.

This, for example, is one possible starting lineup made up of former Galaxy players:

Goalkeeper: Jorge Campos.

Defenders: Steve Jolley, Dan Calichman, Fraser, Joe Franchino.

Midfielders: Roy Myers, Chris Armas, Clint Mathis, Martin Machon.

Forwards: Eduardo Hurtado, Welton.

Even Coach Sigi Schmid acknowledged Wednesday that such a lineup would at least make things interesting for his team, which begins its sixth season at 7 p.m. Saturday, against the San Jose Earthquakes at the Rose Bowl.

“Well, for one thing, you couldn’t play that lineup,” he said, laughing, “because you’ve got five foreigners on it.

“But I think we’d do OK. In the attacking part of midfield, with Mathis, Machon and Myers, they’d probably have a little bit more, but I think we could go at their backs.”

Such games are mere fantasies, however, and Schmid has his mind on preparing a team that will try to win not one but three trophies in 2001.

Foremost, of course, is the MLS Cup, which the Galaxy twice has come within one game of winning, only to fall short in the championship matches of 1996 and 1999.

The players believe this is their season to take the title.

“I think maybe the team has got a bit more belief this year, a bit more confidence, just stemming from the CONCACAF Champions Cup win [in January],” said New Zealand midfielder Simon Elliott, last year’s Galaxy most valuable player.

“It showed that we can compete against quality opposition and win big games, which the Galaxy hasn’t always had a reputation of doing in the past.”

Second among Los Angeles’ priorities is to win the U.S. Open Cup.

The third goal is realistically beyond reach. No one expects the Galaxy to win the second FIFA World Club Championship in Spain this summer.

The league title is the main emphasis. Last year, Los Angeles fell at the next-to-last hurdle, losing a best-of-three semifinal series to the eventual champion Kansas City Wizards.

“Not to rehash last year too much,” Schmid said, “but I don’t think the team really received enough credit for being able to maintain what we maintained throughout the season with all the changes that occurred to the team in the middle of the season.

“I think a lot of teams would have collapsed under that pressure [of losing three starters in the midseason deal that brought Luis Hernandez to L.A.]. To think that we got to within a few minutes of the MLS Cup final is pretty good.”

Looking at the 2001 team, Schmid has no concerns about the goalkeeping, where there is not much difference between starter Kevin Hartman and backup Matt Reis.

“Matt’s a quality goalkeeper,” Schmid said. “I think his ability is in part what keeps Kevin sharp.”

The defense has been helped by the addition of Alexi Lalas but hurt by this week’s trade of Fraser to the Colorado Rapids so that the Galaxy could get beneath the MLS salary cap.

The starting back line probably will be Lalas, Danny Califf and Greg Vanney, with Paul Caligiuri or Adam Frye able to fill in for any of the three.

Schmid favors a 3-5-2 formation because of the depth of midfielders at his disposal.

Elliott and Danny Pena are first-rate defensive midfielders, while veteran Mauricio Cienfuegos and his understudy, Peter Vagenas, are the creative midfielders. Out wide, Cobi Jones will be on the left this season because Schmid wants to use Ezra Hendrickson on the right flank.

That way, the team can switch instantly to a 4-3-3 formation, with Hendrickson dropping back into the defense and Jones moving up to join the two forwards.

“I just think it gives us some flexibility,” Schmid said. “I really expect Ezra to have a big season for us this year.”

Brian Kelly is the option if either winger is unavailable.

Determining the two Galaxy forwards, meanwhile, is an ongoing problem.

Hernandez will be one of them, certainly, but he will remain unavailable until Club America’s Mexican league season ends, which might be as late as May 20.

Meanwhile, Schmid will rely on Sasha Victorine, as well as the Galaxy’s top three 2001 draft picks: Brian Mullan from Creighton, Isaias Bardales Jr. from San Jose State or Hawaiian-born Brian Ching, from Gonzaga. Marvin Quijano also is an option.

“At the end of the day, I think they’re all going to help us,” Schmid said.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

2001 Roster

*--*

No. Name Pos. Yr. with L.A. Games* 22 Kevin Hartman Goalkeeper Fifth 112 1 Matt Reis Goalkeeper Fourth 13 30 Alexi Lalas Defender First None 23 Danny Califf Defender Second 20 3 Greg Vanney Defender Sixth 166 20 Paul Caligiuri Defender Fifth 131 17 Ezra Hendrickson Def./Midfielder Fifth 105 2 Danny Pena Midfielder Fifth 105 12 Simon Elliott Midfielder Third 61 10 Mauricio Cienfuegos Midfielder Sixth 161 8 Peter Vagenas Midfielder Second 16 18 Adam Frye Midfielder Second 8 5 Brian Kelly Midfielder Second 14 13 Cobi Jones Midfielder/F Sixth 154 11 Sasha Victorine F/Midfielder Second 28 9 Brian Ching Forward First None 19 Brian Mullan Forward First None 15 Luis Hernandez Forward Second 21 25 Marvin Quijano F/Midfielder Third 13 ** 7 Isaias Bardales Jr. Forward First None **

*--*

*--With Galaxy only, not including previous MLS clubs.

**--Project 40 player not counting against 18-man roster.