GALAXY NOTEBOOK: HERNANDEZ A NO-SHOW AT PRACTICE.

PASADENA - Soon after the Galaxy finished practice Tuesday in preparation for Sunday's Major League Soccer playoff opener with New York/New Jersey, coach Sigi Schmid was asked a question.

Where was Luis Hernandez?

``I have no idea where he was (Tuesday),'' said Schmid, obviously irritated about the absence of his star player. ``We have not heard from him. We hope that nothing's happened and there hasn't been an accident. We tried reaching him on different phones (numbers) that we have, but we couldn't reach him.''

It's not unusual for Hernandez to take days off; his leash extends longer than anyone on the Galaxy in that regard. In the past, he's missed practice to return to Mexico, and during U.S. Open Cup matches because he was suspended from the tournament.

However, he always has contacted Schmid or someone in the organization when he has done so. Schmid said Hernandez was at practice Monday and the two had a good conversation.

Hernandez lives in Pasadena during the season. As of late Tuesday, he hadn't contacted Galaxy officials or his agent, Jose Manuel Sanz.

This comes at a time when players are trying to refocus after the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., last week. But until Schmid hears from Hernandez, he does not want to jump to conclusions.

``I learned a long time ago that you find out what happens before you go off on a tangent as a coach,'' Schmid said. ``You don't know if something happened on his way to dinner or if there was a family emergency. You have to find out what the circumstances are before you react.''

The Galaxy will have a tough enough time with the MetroStars, who are coached by former Galaxy coach Octavio Zambrano. There are so many former Galaxy players on New York's roster, the MetroStars have been dubbed ``Galaxy East.''

``Nobody really knows why he's (Hernandez) not here. It's just important that he's OK,'' defender Paul Caligiuri said. ``This isn't unusual for us because he's not here a lot because of an injury or his family. And when he's not here, we don't question it.''

This late in the season, midfielder Peter Vagenas said it's important to keep focus.

``First and foremost, I hope everything is OK with him and his family,'' said Vagenas, who played at St. Francis of La Canada. ``If everything is OK, I'm sure he will have an excuse, and if he doesn't, I'm sure he will get fined like anyone else who skips practice.

``But this team is too strong for one guy to break it. We've come all this way and he's either with us or he's not. That's a decision he's got to make. We're not going to sit here and worry about it. Luis has shown dedication to this team and he is a valuable member, so we hope it's nothing that serious.''

--Gracious hosts: The Galaxy learned it will be the host team for the U.S. Open Cup final Oct. 27 at Cal State Fullerton. The Galaxy will face the New England Revolution in the match, which takes place one week after the MLS championship game.

``It's going to be my final game, so I'm delighted it's going to be here,'' said Caligiuri, who is retiring at the end of the season to become the head men's and women's coach at Cal Poly Pomona.