ARMAS MADE MOST OF MOVE.

Byline: Fred J. Robledo

Chris Armas has been here before.

Not just at the Rose Bowl, where he played two memorable seasons for the Galaxy, but in the MLS championship game.

In 1996, Armas' goal gave the Galaxy a 2-0 lead early in the second half against D.C. United in the league's inaugural MLS Cup.

The memory of what happened next haunts him to this day.

United scored two goals in a pouring rain to tie the game, then won 3-2 in sudden-death overtime on an Eddie Pope header.

``It's pretty much a bitter memory for me,'' said Armas, who will lead the Chicago Fire into Sunday's MLS Cup '98 at the Rose Bowl against United.

``I can't really seem to let go of it. We played such a brilliant game before that point and to lose that way . . . I mean, I've never felt worse on the soccer field. In sports, though, that's the way it goes sometimes.''

Armas has some good memories as well.

``Looking back, that whole experience was unforgettable,'' he said. ``The whole week leading up there were press conferences and stories in the paper. It really felt like a championship-type setting. Not like the World Series or Super Bowl, but for a soccer game in this country, it was pretty exciting.''

Armas, probably the most significant little-known player in MLS, is the heart and soul of Chicago's midfield.

For two years, he was the defensive midfield specialist for the Galaxy. His job was to stop other teams' playmakers - players like Marco Etcheverry and Carlos Valderrama.

Before the 1998 season, the Galaxy traded Jorge Campos to Chicago, but the Fire insisted on getting Armas as well. Galaxy coach Octavio Zambrano said letting Armas go was the toughest decision he's had to make, and it has come back to haunt him.

In the teams' recent playoff series, Armas man-marked L.A. playmaker Mauricio Cienfuegos, which helped shut down the Galaxy's league-leading offense.

Armas' statistics are nothing special. He's scored only one goal while assisting on 10 others. Yet he's on a lot of soccer writers' ballots as one of MLS's best 11 players this season.

Why? Because he does all the little things necessary to win.

``His concentration and alertness on the field for 90 minutes is excellent,'' Chicago coach Bob Bradley said.

``He has a way of stepping in on plays and winning the ball and joining attacks. He's a player who manages to make big plays for this team on both sides of the ball. In other words, Chris Armas is a very important part of this team.''

So important, in fact, that Bradley feels a U.S. national team appointment will come soon.

``Absolutely, I think he's a player we need to have on our national team,'' Bradley said. ``He's a proven player and foreign players on our team all talk about the fact he's a player that should be on our national team.''

On Sunday, Armas faces the challenge of marking Etcheverry, MLS's most prolific playmaker.