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Los Angeles Galaxy Overview
Divide
the inaugural Major League Soccer (MLS) season
into thirds when talking about the Galaxy in
1996. Los Angeles won 12 games to begin the
season, but a rough mid-season stretch where
the Galaxy lost five-straight games kept fans
on the edge of their seats throughout the season.
Finally, a late-season surge enabled Los Angeles
to capture the 1996 Western Conference crown
with a 19-13 mark (49 pts.).
The
Galaxy continued their hot streak in the playoffs
defeating the San Jose Clash 2-1 in a three-game
playoff series, prior to dispatching the Dallas
Burn 2-0 on their way to the MLS title game.
However, it was not meant to be as the Galaxy
finished as runner-up to Washington D.C. United
at MLS Cup 1996, in a 3-2 overtime loss at Foxboro
Stadium. Despite a heartbreaking loss to D.C.
United, the Galaxy returned home to a hero's
welcome.
Ecuadorian
striker Eduardo "El Tanque" Hurtado
scorched opposing defenses in 1996. The 6-3,
200-pound forward used his imposing physical
size and nice touch around the goal to finish
tied for second in MLS scoring, tallying 21
goals and seven assists for 49 points. Two key
reasons for Hurtado's success up front were
the play of midfielders Mauricio Cienfuegos
and Cobi Jones. Cienfuegos, a key member of
El Salvador's National Team, blossomed into
one of the MLS' elite playmakers. Jones' versatility
allowed him to play in the midfield, score goals
up front and be named to ATAT's "Best 11".
Mexican
National Team goalkeeper Jorge Campos showed
why he is considered one of the world's best
goalkeepers, ranking first in MLS with a 1.20
goals against average. Campos, whose acrobatic
style of play and colorful apparel have made
him one of the world's most famous goalkeepers,
also saw some time at forward and registered
one assist. Campos attributed some of his statistical
success to central defenders Dan Calichman and
Robin Fraser. Calichman, a veteran of Japan's
famed J-League, and Fraser, a physical player
who brought great composure to Los Angeles's
back line, provided the Galaxy with an experienced
and organized defense.
Thanks
to Campos, Jones, Hurtado, Cienfuegos, Fraser,
Calichman, and the other members of the 1996
squad, the Los Angeles Galaxy captured the attention
of soccer fans throughout the country and around
the world.
Although the Galaxy started its season with
a 1-7 record after its first eight games, the
club was able to go 15-9 the rest of the way
to qualify for the playoffs, Galaxy management
relieved head coach Lothar Osiander of his duties
on 6/l0/97 and proceeded to win five of their
next seven games under assistant coach Octavio
Zambrano. Los Angeles swept all five matches
in July moving into fourth place in the Western
Conference. The club held on to the last playoff
spot during July until they made their rapid
climb up the conference ladder in August and
September. While other teams in the conference
struggled, Los Angeles prospered closing out
the season with six consecutive wins, moving
from fourth to second in 24 days.
The
Galaxy went 11-5 after the All-Star break, earning
28 points and moving from fifth to second in
the Western Conference with 44 points to earn
its second postseason berth. The club also hit
the back of the net more frequently in the second
half outscoring opponents 38-22 during the 16
post All-Star contests.
Los
Angeles defeated Kansas City 2-0 at the Rose
Bowl on September 28 to win its sixth consecutive
game and capture second place in the Western
Conference. The Galaxy offense went into high
gear during the streak, outscoring opponents
18-5. The win over the Wizards put Los Angeles
at a .500 record for the first time during the
season. The club finished as the hottest team
in the MLS winning 10 of its last 15 games,
including six in a row.
Octavio
Zambrano was named interim head coach in early
June and guided the Galaxy to 13-7 record under
his tutelage. The club also showed scoring prowess
outscoring its opponents 46-28 in the 20 games
after the Ecuadorian native took over the coaching
reigns. The Galaxy earned seven points in its
first 12 games with Lothar Osiander at the helm,
but subsequently earned 37 points in 20 games
under Zambrano. Los Angeles went from being
in fifth place in the Western Conference to
finishing in second and earning home field advantage
in the first round of the playoffs against the
Dallas Burn.
The
Galaxy's defense was once again among the league's
best. The club finished the '97 regular season
giving up 44 goals for a 1.38 goals against
average (GAA). Los Angeles' stingy defense was
second behind the Columbus Crew who gave up
41 goals for a 1.28 GAA. The Galaxy defense
logged nine shutouts to lead the league just
ahead of the Crew with eight and the Colorado
Rapids with seven.
The Galaxy started the 1998 campaign where it
left off the 1997 regular season, on a hot streak
winning its first nine consecutive games. Los
Angeles went on to finish the season with a
franchise best 24-8 (.750) overall mark matching
the league record for most wins in a season
set by D.C. United on the same day (9/24/98).
The 24 wins earned the Galaxy the Western Conference
Championship for the second time in the club's
short three-year history (also 1996).
The
club was 11-5 (.688) at home and a MLS-record
13-3 (.813) away from the Rose Bowl. Los Angeles
enjoyed its most success against the Western
Conference, going 16-4 (.800) against the West
(8-2 at home, 8-2 on the road). The Galaxy also
finished as the league's hottest team with an
8-2 mark in their last 10 games. The club went
6-4 in their final 10 home games, but won eight
of their last 10 road tilts (8-2).
With
85 goals scored in 32 regular season games during
the 1998 campaign, the Galaxy concluded the
season having demolished the MLS single-season
scoring record of 70 goals (D.C. United in 1997).
In fact, the Galaxy posted at least a two-goal
margin of victory in 14 of its last 19 wins,
including a three-goal margin in nine of the
19 victories. The Galaxy also recorded a MLS
season-high 104 helpers for a total of 274 points
(85-104=274). The Club averaged 2.66 goals-per-game,
including 3.38 gpg when recording a victory.
The
Galaxy finished the 1998 season with not only
the best scoring squad in Major League Soccer
history tallying 85 goals, but also finished
with the best defense allowing a mere 44 goals
with seven shutouts. The 44 goals allowed by
Los Angeles marked the second time in the club's
three-year history that it has held its opponents
to 44 strikes. The Galaxy defensive corps allowed
1.38 goals per game, holding 21 of its 32 opponents
to one goal or less in regulation. Furthermore,
the 44 goals allowed by the Galaxy tied for
second best in MLS history (Columbus allowed
41 in 1997).
Galaxy
goalkeeper Kevin Hartman was among league leaders
in several goalkeeping categories. The 6-1,
174-pound netminder led the league in wins (22),
T-2nd in shutouts (7), and finished 2nd among
minutes leaders (2544). Hartman, also known
as "El Gato" for his catlike instincts
around the net, also finished second in the
league with a 1.38 goals-against average.
The
Galaxy posted their 24th win with a 1-0 victory
in the season finale against the Chicago Fire,
which proved to be a preview of the Western
Conference Final. The 24 wins set an MLS record,
which D.C. United matched in 1998 as well. Los
Angeles recorded a MLS-record 68 points in the
standing, falling short of earning a full three
points in just two of their 24 wins. The Galaxy
also set the MLS standard with a 13-3 road record,
as the team finished with a better road mark
than home mark for the first time in the league's
annals. Not only did the club close out the
season surpassing several records, the team
began the campaign with the longest regular
season win streak in the history of the MLS,
a 15-game clip that began at the end of 1997
with six victories.
The 1999 season The Galaxy finish with a 20-12
record (.625) with 54 points and earned the
Western Conference regular season title for
the second consecutive season and third time
in club history (1996, 1998 &, 1999). A
slow start to the season (2-3) and a lack luster
performance from the MLS' highest scoring team
in 1998 (85 goals) saw head coach Octavio Zambrano
relieved of his duties on April 22, 1999. Los
Angeles named a local college legend luring
UCLA's Sigi Schmid to the challenge of coaching
in Major League Soccer. In his first year as
head coach, Schmid led the Galaxy to a 17-9
record (.654] good for 49 points. Since Schmid
joined the Galaxy, Los Angeles went through
a season long transformation from a team with
potential to runner-up champion. At the Rose
Bowl, Los Angeles finished the season with third
best home record 12-4 (.750) in MLS. On the
road, the Galaxy finished with an 8-8 record
(.500). The Galaxy tied to the best record against
fellow West opponents with a 13-7 record (.650)
and as the top club versus the East notching
a 7-5 record (.583). The Galaxy enters the 2000
season with an all-time 79-49 MLS record.
The Galaxy finished their fifth MLS season with
a 14-10-8 record (.563), good for 50 points
and second place in the Western Division and
the fifth-best overall record in the league.
The runner-up finish marked only the second
time in history the club had not finished in
first place in its division or conference (the
other time being 1997). A strong start (6-0-5)
saw the Galaxy go unbeaten in 11 straight games
from March 18 to May 20, despite the club’s
lowest scoring season in five years (47 goals).
At the Rose Bowl, Los Angeles finished with
the seventh-best home record in MLS at 8-3-5
(.656). On the road, the Galaxy recorded the
third-best record in the league with a 6-7-3
mark (.469). The Galaxy posted a 5-3-4 record
(.583) against fellow Western Division foes
and had the second-best record (behind Chicago)
among MLS squads against teams outside its division
(9-7-4, .550). Los Angeles led the league in
attendance for the third time (1998 and 1996
were the others), welcoming 326,392 fans to
the Rose Bowl for an average of 20,400 per game.
The average attendance was up nearly 3,000 fans
per-game over 1999.
The Galaxy finished their sixth MLS season with
a record of 14-7-5 (.635), good for 47 points
and first place in the Western Division and
the third-best overall record in the league.
The first place finish marked the fourth time
the club has finished atop its division or conference.
Despite a slow start, losing their first two
matches of the season, the Galaxy battled back
and finished the season on a high note, winning
seven of its last nine games. At the Rose Bowl,
Los Angeles finished tied for the third-best
home record in the MLS at 9-3-1 (.731). They
also had the third-best record on the road with
a 5-4-4 mark (.538). The Galaxy led the Western
Division with a record of 7-3-0. Los Angeles
also attained three milestones in 2001, their
300th goal, 100th victory and 1,000th point.
The L.A. Galaxy finished the 2002 MLS season
with a league leading 16-9-3 record (.625) and
51 points. The Galaxy claimed the Western Conference
Championship and Supporters Shield. A slow start
to the season (5-5-2) saw the Galaxy play six
straight overtime games from March 23 to May
4 and suffer the club's worst loss in history
(5-0) to the MetroStars on June 15. However,
Head Coach Sigi Schmid changed the club's formation
and refocused the defense guiding the team to
an 11-4-1 record for the balance of the season.
The Galaxy also become the first team to win
three consecutive games during the 2002 season
and even went on to close out the season with
four straight victories. At the Rose Bowl, Los
Angeles finished the season with the second
best home record 11-1-2 (.857) in MLS. On the
road, the Galaxy finished tied for the fifth
best record in MLS at 5-8-1 (.469). The Galaxy
finished first in Western Conference play with
an 8-5-3 record (.594) and in second place overall
in conference play among all MLS teams. In non-conference
play, Los Angeles finished second with a 8-4-0
record (.667) among Western Conference clubs,
as well as second for the best non-conference
record among all MLS teams. Los Angeles ranked
second in the league in attendance for 2002,
averaging 19,047 (Up 10% from 2001) for a total
of 289,663 fans at the Rose Bowl.
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Los
Angeles Galaxy Info
Stadium:
Galaxy Stadium
[Under Construction]
Honours:
MLS
Champions:
2002
Western
Conference Champions:
1996, 1998, 1999,
US Open Cup:
2001
QUICK FACT
Cobi
Jones was a star with English Club side
Coventry City.
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