[0] GALAXY FALLS TO SAN JOSE : L.A. MUST WIN SUNDAY SAN JOSE 1, GALAXY 0.

Byline: Kevin Acee Daily News Staff Writer

Being a former native of the Bay Area, perhaps Galaxy coach Lothar Osiander should have known how easy it is for these folks to dislike anything Los Angeles.

Especially a pop-off.

But Osiander tells it like it is most of the time. And this time, it might have contributed to the demise of what was once America's best soccer team.

The loud and loopy crowd of 17,209 at Spartan Stadium contributed periodic chants of ``Beat L.A.,'' a phrase toddlers here learn before they walk, and the Galaxy contributed nothing as the San Jose Clash beat its natural rivals for the first time in five meetings, 1-0 Thursday night in the first game of the Western Conference semifinals.

``There has never been a doubt in my mind we could beat L.A.,'' said San Jose coach Laurie Calloway, whose team was 0-4 against the Galaxy during the regular season. ``There was only doubt in other people's minds.''

``It's been a long time coming,'' said midfielder Eric Wynalda, whose corner kick in the 36th minute set up Tayt Ianni for the game's only goal. ``We haven't played bad against L.A., we've just been unfortunate. The four times we played L.A. don't mean anything now.''

Indeed, the Clash is a victory away from advancing to the Western Conference championship series and sending the team that was all but conceded the league championship in June home for the winter.

Game 2 of the best-of-three series is 4:30 p.m. Sunday at the Rose Bowl. A third game, if necessary, will be 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Rose Bowl.

Calloway used honest yet seemingly innocent quotes from Osiander to help fire up his team. Osiander said many times the past few weeks that his team matched up better with San Jose than the other Western Conference playoff teams. He admitted to being happy the teams were meeting in the first round.

For the purpose of motivation, the Clash and its fans took Osiander's observations as insults.

Wynalda was clearly ecstatic after the game. But he was uncharacteristically quiet.

``He hasn't given us the credit we deserve,'' Wynalda said of Osiander. ``But we still have to win another game, and I'm not going to put my foot in my mouth.''

The Galaxy will not submit clips from either half to the Academy for consideration. But San Jose absolutely dominated the first half, outshooting the Galaxy 10-3.

``I think we were a little slow in the first half,'' said Osiander, who had to be coerced into speaking to the media after the game and was particularly unenlightening when he did.

The Galaxy's strategy in the first half seemed limited to falling down and pleading for a foul and sending long passes to no one in particular.

The Galaxy got fortunate a few times early, in particularly a shot from inside 10 yards by San Jose's Missael Espinoza that flew just left of the opposite goalpost.

But lax play does not go unpunished in the playoffs.

Wynalda's long ball across the penalty was textbook stuff - for a peewee league. Plain and simple, Harut Karapetyan missed the coverage on Ianni. All the 5-foot-8 Ianni had to do was wait for the ball and head it past surprised Galaxy goalkeeper Jorge Campos.

Even before the ball hit the net, Galaxy defender and captain Dan Calichman was yelling at Karapetyan.

But Wynalda said he had a premonition the play might go down that way. He said he and Ianni talked about the possibility earlier Thursday.

``I knew nobody would be paying attention to the shortest guy on the field at the back post,'' Wynalda said.

Even with the deficit and meager play in the first half, there was hope. The Galaxy was oh-so-unsuccessful at coming from behind this season. The one time, however, it had been down at halftime and won was Sept. 1 at San Jose.

But while the Galaxy looked slightly more like a team with an actual plan in the second half, there was no luck.

In the 72nd minute, the Galaxy almost converted on its finest - first? - chance of the game. Eduardo Hurtado sent a ball high into the penalty box, where Jose Vasquez, inserted in the game just five minutes earlier, headed a ball from 10 yards out off the cross bar.

With little more than two minutes to play, Los Angeles again came within inches of tying the game. Mauricio Cienfuegos passed the ball into a diving Campos, who had moved to forward in the 89th minute. Campos headed the ball hard toward the net, but right into Clash goalkeeper Dave Salzwedel's hands.

``We missed the two golden opportunities,'' Osiander said.

Note: The Galaxy has arranged for Mauricio Cienfuegos to fly home to El Salvador immediately following Wednesday's game. There was concern that Cienfuegos, who must play for the El Salvador national team on Oct. 6, would miss that game.

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Photo

Photo: Galaxy forward Harut Karapetyan dribbles past San Jo se defender Michael Emenalo in the first half.

Associated Press