Galaxy Is Shut Out in Spain

After winning its first two games and scoring eight goals in the process, the Galaxy was shut out by Odd Grenland of Norway, 1-0, Monday in the La Manga Cup at Cartagena, Spain.

Although the Galaxy created numerous chances, the goal was scored in the 25th minute on a header by Alexander Aas off a free kick by Edwin Van Ankeren. Aas directed his shot just inside the right post and out of reach of goalkeeper Dan Popik, who was making his Galaxy debut.

“Our goal in preseason is to look at players, prepare and win,” Coach Sigi Schmid said in a statement released by the club. “Today, we forgot the last part.”

The loss consigned the Galaxy to Friday’s third-place match, where it will play another Norwegian team, Viking Stavangar, which Monday defeated the San Jose Earthquakes, 3-1.

Ronnie Ekelund scored for the Earthquakes, who are sending United States national team players Landon Donovan and Richard Mulrooney to California before the team’s tournament finale in the seventh-place game Thursday against FC Lyn of Oslo, Norway.

Mathis Injured

Clint Mathis, the New York/New Jersey MetroStar and U.S. national team forward, will undergo hernia surgery today in Milwaukee and will be sidelined for four weeks, the Major League Soccer team announced.

Mathis will sit out the U.S. team’s game against Japan in Seattle on March 29 and could also sit out the start of the MLS season April 5.

U.S. Loses

A first-half hat trick by striker Edixon Perea powered Colombia to a 6-3 victory over the U.S. at Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in a game between the countries’ under-20 national teams.

Both teams are preparing for the FIFA World Youth Championship in the United Arab Emirates next month.

The U.S. got two goals by Knox Cameron and one by Ricardo Clark.

WUSA Waivers

Former U.S. women’s national team players Amanda Cromwell, Justi Baumgardt-Yamada, Ronnie Fair and Staci Wilson were put on waivers by their Women’s United Soccer Assn. teams and were not selected in Monday’s waiver draft.

Also among those waived and not picked up were Chinese defender Fan Yunjie and Nigerian forward Mercy Akide, both of whom played in the 1999 Women’s World Cup.

The New York Power traded Chinese goalkeeper Gao Hong to the Washington Freedom for future considerations. The Freedom provisionally obtained midfielder Rebekah McDowell from the Philadelphia Charge for Finland national team midfielder Anne Makinen.

Quick Passes

The U.S. women’s national team will play England on May 17 at Birmingham, Ala., U.S. Soccer announced. Coach April Heinrichs’ team leaves in early March for the Algarve Cup at Portugal, where it will play Canada, Norway and Sweden in the first round.

*

Coach John Ellinger today will select the roster for the U.S. team that will travel to Guatemala on Sunday to play Jamaica, El Salvador and Guatemala next week in the qualifying tournament for the FIFA Under-17 World Championship at Finland in August.

*

U.S. under-21 women’s national team Coach Chris Petrucelli has included three local players -- Cal State Fullerton goalkeeper Karen Bardsley, UCLA defender Nandi Pryce and Stanford forward Veronica Zepeda of Riverside -- on the team to play the San Diego Spirit on March 4 and Mexico on March 6 and 8 at Chula Vista.... Forwards Amy Burlingham of Costa Mesa and Angie Woznuk of El Cajon were selected to the U.S. under-19 women’s national team that will play two matches on the road against Mexico -- on Thursday at Colima and Saturday at Guadalajara.