GALAXY SHINES, CHIVAS LOSES STEAM.

Byline: NICK GREEN

SOCCER

With a week left in the regular season, the diverging fortunes of Southern California's two MLS teams were brought into stark relief this weekend.

The Galaxy's 2-1 win over Toronto on Saturday gave L.A. a five-game winning streak and a six-game undefeated string.

Chivas USA's defeat Sunday by the same score line at the hands of the Colorado Rapids means it boasts just two wins in its past six games, although to be fair it has just one loss as well.

Still, if the playoffs are all about momentum -- and they are -- Ch- Ch-Chivas is ch-ch-choking and the Ga-Ga-Galaxy are well, ga-ga.

A neutral observer wandering into each teams' respective Home Depot Center locker room last weekend could be forgiven for mixing them up.

Upbeat music was blasting in the Galaxy's locker room, despite a 9-13-6 record that's left the team with just 33 points. Two wins in the last two games would see the Galaxy through to the postseason, although a tie and a win would also be enough depending on other results.

Chivas' locker room was eerily silent, players disconsolate and usually voluble veteran Jesse Marsch (clearly annoyed at being subbed) declining to talk to the media. And this is a 15-7-7 team that could still win the Western Conference title if Chivas avoids losing Saturday to the Houston Dynamo.

But after losing its record as the only unbeaten home team in MLS, Chivas is rattled and on the rack, while the Galaxy is relaxed and resilient.

Both teams' coaches were smiling at the postgame news conferences.

But Galaxy coach Frank Yallop appeared genuinely chipper to occupy a position no one expected a few short weeks ago.

"I told you all along I didn't think this team was that bad," he said.

"We're believing in ourselves now."

Chivas' Preki, meanwhile, appeared artificially upbeat as if trying to convince himself his team wasn't stuttering at a crucial juncture.

"The feeling in the locker room is still good," he insisted, although it clearly wasn't.

The difference is in the depth of the two squads and the veterans in particular.

The Galaxy has the likes of full back Ante Jazic back on the field, while central defender Abel Xavier and superstar David Beckham are on the mend and waiting in the wings.

Chivas has top scorer Maykel Galindo playing in pain with a nagging hernia and veteran striker Ante Razov out with a season-ending knee injury and, like Marsch, refusing to talk to the press.

"Ante's a big part of this team, on and off the field," said goalkeeper Brad Guzan. "It's a big loss for us."

At the start of the season one veteran MLS coach declared that the "Chivas cupboard was bare."

Up front, the emergence of 12-goal Galindo combined with the steady play of Razov (11 goals) largely masked that, but Chivas has limited attacking options in reserve.

Despite scoring two goals against lowly Real Salt Lake, rookie John Cunliffe often looks as hesitant on the field as he is shy off it. And Frenchman Laurent Merlin, a Galaxy reject, has had limited first-team minutes and appears unsure of his role when he does come in.

The result: the Galaxy isn't playing particularly well, but are winning; Chivas isn't playing particularly badly, but can't win. The Galaxy has seized the initiative, while Chivas seems adrift. Of course, the Galaxy isn't assured of a playoff spot, while Chivas is.

If the Galaxy does make the playoffs, it won't be statistically the worst team to do so under the current format; New York was in the postseason last year with a 9-11-12 record and 39 points.

But the Red Bulls didn't win their final six or seven games of the regular season to make the playoffs.

On Thursday, the Galaxy faces a New York team with just one win in its past six games. On Sunday, it's Chicago, which has just one victory in its past seven outings.

In contrast, Chivas comes up against a Houston Dynamo outfit with a solitary loss in its past seven games going into its Monday game against Real Salt Lake.

If the planets are aligning for the Galaxy, Chivas' world is being rocked.

If the Galaxy is showing its foundation goes deeper than many thought, Chivas is looking ever more brittle when it counts most.

And if it's adversity that defines a team, the Galaxy is answering the questions asked of it with clarity, while Chivas is muddling through the multiple choice.

The clincher: The Galaxy and Chivas could collide in the first round of the playoffs.

And in a two-game series in Carson before a fired-up capacity crowd, regular-season records will really become irrelevant.

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Photo:

Jonathan Bornstein, below, and his Chivas USA teammates have been downbeat lately, while their Home Depot Center counterpart, the Galaxy, has been thriving.

Matt Slocum/Associated Press