REIS, NOT HARTMAN, GETS START.

Byline: Fred J. Robledo Staff Writer

PASADENA - Galaxy coach Sigi Schmid faces a daily dilemma, but the problem has been eased by the patient attitudes of goalkeepers Kevin Hartman and Matt Reis.

Here are two friends, both of whom went to UCLA, who want long careers with the Galaxy. Unfortunately, that won't happen. One of them, Schmid has said, likely will be traded at the end of the season.

Hartman is coming off a scoreless tie at Dallas on Saturday. But Reis will be in goal tonight when the Galaxy plays the Columbus Crew at the Rose Bowl. Hartman realizes a trade is a possibility.

``In my mind, it's realistic to think that will happen,'' said Hartman, who recently bought a house in Valencia. ``I'm not the regular starter right now. I want to find a situation that's healthy for me, somewhere where I can progress. If not here, then somewhere else.''

Reis has started 13 of the Galaxy's 17 games, posting five shutouts, including four in a row at home. He has a 1.35 goals-gainst average.

Initially, Hartman took the demotion hard. But rather than mope, he pushed Reis in training camp and now both are better for it. So much so that Hartman doesn't put any of the blame on Schmid for making the switch.

``Earlier in the season, I was frustrated with myself because the ball didn't seem to bounce my way,'' said Hartman. ``I had to work through it and now I feel confident again.

``And I can't say enough about Matt. He's raised his game to a level where I can't fault Sigi's decisions. And it's a decision that's out of our hands. We're both playing good soccer, but Sigi can only pick one of us.''

Tonight's game, which will be followed by the Rose Bowl's annual fireworks display, figures to draw as many as 50,000 people. In the past, the fireworks show itself has drawn upwards of 75,000.

Through seven home dates, Galaxy attendance is down 41 percent from last year, by far the biggest decline in the league. Galaxy attendance has fallen from an average of 20,400 at this point in 2000 to an average of 12,915 this season.

This year the Galaxy has yet to break the 20,000 mark through its first seven home games. L.A.'s largest crowd was for its season-opening loss April 7 against San Jose, a game that drew 17,386. Its biggest crowd since the opener was May 19, when 15,881 attended a scoreless tie against Dallas.

Veteran defender Paul Caligiuri said professional soccer often competes with the multitude of youth soccer activities now available on the weekends.

``We as players are aware,'' said Caligiuri. ``We've asked questions in closed-door settings. A lot of the revenue from a league standpoint has been put into national advertising, not on the local level.''

GALAXY vs. COLUMBUS

Today's Game: Galaxy (7-4-5, 26 points) vs. Columbus Crew (4-5-4, 16 points), Rose Bowl, 7 p.m.

TV/Radio: Fox Sports Net, KTNQ 1020-AM (Spanish); KXMX 1190-AM (English).

Notable: Galaxy officials expect a crowd of between 30,000 to 50,000 for tonight's 75th Fourth of July celebration at the Rose Bowl, which includes a postgame fireworks show.

-- Fred J. Robledo

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GALAXY vs. COLUMBUS (see text)