DESPITE VICTORY, IT'S SHAKEUP TIME; GALAXY POINTS TO HURTADO AS FALL GUY : GALAXY 2, SAN JOSE 1.

Byline: Kevin Modesti Daily News Staff Writer

The struggling Galaxy declared the start of a ``new season'' Sunday - and all but announced that Eduardo Hurtado won't be part of it.

Hurtado, the team's leading goal scorer in its 1996 conference-title season but a disappointment in '97, was kept out of uniform as the Galaxy dominated the San Jose Clash but needed a shootout to win 2-1 in front of 10,338 fans at the Rose Bowl.

Coach Lothar Osiander said afterward that Hurtado had ``a bum knee,'' but when pressed for details, Osiander added, ``It's between his ears.''

Hurtado already was the subject of trade rumors, and now it's pretty clear he will take the fall for the Galaxy's 2-7 start.

The 27-year-old Ecuadoran is thought to be the only one of the Galaxy's marquee players without a no-trade clause in his contract.

``Eduardo is clearly on the bubble,'' said Danny Villanueva, the team's general manager, who called the injury to Hurtado's left knee ``coincidental,'' meaning it was a convenient excuse for benching him. ``Are we looking to shake things up? I think anybody who's having the kind of season we're having has to think about doing something.''

Hurtado, who had 21 goals in 26 games last year, has only one this year. And his practice performances apparently convinced Galaxy management his head isn't in it.

Sitting in the Galaxy locker room after Sunday's game, Hurtado said his knee was sound enough to play, and that is head was fine too.

``It's not as much a lack of concentration, but you become anxious,'' Hurtado said through a translator, alluding to the Galaxy's scoring slump. ``That includes everybody.''

Complicating the efforts to trade him, Hurtado repeated his intention to leave the United States if he is traded to another Major League Soccer team.

This ``new season'' is going to be interesting, indeed.

On the field, it began with the Galaxy ending their losing streak at four games but upset at earning one point in the standings (for the shootout win) instead of the full three.

Los Angeles took 20 shots to San Jose's four and led 1-0 after Cobi Jones' crossing pass and Welton's point-blank left-footer in the 32nd minute gave the Galaxy its first goal in 229 minutes and a first-half goal for only the second time this season.

But the Clash (4-6) jumped on a defensive lapse - the Galaxy tried and failed to catch San Jose offside - to equalize on Lawrence Lozzano's shot off a Daniel Guzman pass two minutes into the second half.

The Galaxy had the best scoring chance after that, but 68th-minute substitute Brian Taylor's shot on a breakaway with 1:10 to play hit the left upright and bounced clear.

The crowd booed when the best-of-five shootout was announced, and neither team felt that good about it, either. The Clash has had six shootouts (and lost four). The Galaxy (1-3 in shootouts) wanted three points, which wouldn't have pulled the team out of last place, but close.

At least the Galaxy won the shootout, 3-2, going ahead 3-1 behind Jones, Chris Armas and Robin Fraser and celebrating when goalie David Kramer reached up to catch Istvan Urbanyi's chip shot.

The Galaxy had to go without playmaker Mauricio Cienfuegos, who was away with the El Salvador national team. But that only evened things up, because the Clash waited until the 62nd minute to use Eric Wynalda because of his groin strain. Totaling up the injured and otherwise inactive players, Los Angeles started the game without the scorers of four of its six goals in '97 and San Jose without the scorers of seven of its 13.

``Everybody (the players) had been saying, `This is the start of a new season for us,' '' Jones said. ``It had gotten to a point where I think everybody said, `If we keep playing like this, there's no way we're getting into the playoffs.'

``This is a good start.''

Osiander wasn't quite so pleased.

``A regular win would have helped me a lot more, instead of going to one of these ridiculous shootouts,'' said the coach, who last week signed a Galaxy contract that formalized his one-year deal. ``But we all promised ourselves this would be the start of a new season. I suppose we should be happy.

``All we have to do is win 15 more games and we'll make the playoffs.''

Twenty-three games remain, starting with Sunday's against the Columbus Crew at the Rose Bowl.

Goalie Jorge Campos, whose Mexican League team was knocked out of the playoffs Sunday, should rejoin the Galaxy for that game. Who'll be here to welcome him? Wait and see.

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2 Photos

Photo: (1) Robin Fraser of the Galaxy consoles injured San Jose player Dominic Kinnear after Fraser slid into him. Kinnear left with an injured ankle.

(2) The Galaxy's Welton (19) celebrates his first-half goal with teammate Chris Armas.

Myung J. Chun / Daily News