GALAXY NOTEBOOK: GALAXY HOPES FOR STADIUM GROUNDBREAKING IN JULY.

Byline: Fred J. Robledo Staff Writer

A senior Galaxy official said Tuesday the Major League Soccer team is hopeful it can break ground in July on a 27,000-seat stadium and sports complex on the campus of Cal State Dominguez Hills in Carson.

Bill Peterson, senior vice president of soccer operations for Anschutz Entertainment, said the facility could be completed by the end of the 2002 MLS season or the beginning of the 2003 season.

The Galaxy announced its intent to leave the Rose Bowl and build a soccer-specific stadium last March, but the team has been waiting for the necessary environmental impact reports to be completed before moving forward. The Rose Bowl has been home to the MLS franchise since 1996, the league's inaugural season. The Galaxy will continue to play in the Rose Bowl for the next two seasons.

Peterson said the environmental impact reports on the stadium and sports complex were recently completed, but the Galaxy has some issues to finalize before construction begins.

First, he said, the team is waiting to see if it wins a bid from United States Soccer to build a national training center adjacent to the stadium. The center would be the home of the United States' men's and women's national teams, its under-20 teams, and serve as the headquarters for the U.S. men's and women's World Cup and Olympic teams. It also could be used for amateur tournaments, camps, coaching clinics and other events.

Second, Peterson said there needs to be more discussion with Cal State Dominguez Hills to determine how it will share the facility.

``I'm not sure there are real obstacles, but there is still a lot of process to go through,'' said Peterson. ``Right now, July is the target date, but it can be flexible. It's not a hard target or something that dictates whether we go forward, but that's the potential ground-breaking time.''

In addition to providing a state-of-the-art home for the Galaxy, the sports complex would include a 12,000-seat tennis stadium, eight practice courts and one show court adjacent to the stadium, additional soccer fields, locker rooms, weight rooms, offices, video rooms, a gymnasium, pool, track and housing accommodations for up to 240 people.

All these amenities would be available for U.S. Soccer and Cal State Dominguez Hills to share with the Galaxy.

Cal State Dominguez Hills sports information director Tim Woodhall said the environmental impact reports will be reviewed and go to the board of trustees in May.

That gives Peterson enough time to strengthen the Galaxy's bid with U.S. Soccer, which is considering another training site in Florida. U.S. Soccer, which wanted to make an announcement last September, has been pushing its deadline back to accommodate the Galaxy.

Peterson said that is a strong sign to him that the USSF intends to support Galaxy owner Philip F. Anschutz's plan to build the 85-acre sports complex on the western portion of Cal State Dominguez Hills.

``Every bit of feedback we get from U.S. soccer is that we're strong in the running,'' said Peterson. ``I assume if we can provide satisfactory details and exactly what the facilities and benefits are to them, then we can close this deal. We really hope this comes to a head with U.S. Soccer within the next four to six weeks.''

If the Galaxy gets approval from U.S. Soccer, then Peterson said the team only needs to iron out the details with Cal State Dominguez Hills before it breaks ground.