SOCCER NOTEBOOK: AVAILABLE TICKETS CUT FOR SUPERLIGA FINAL.

Byline: BILLY WITZ

Staff Writer

The idea of class conflict rearing its head at next week's inaugural SuperLiga final may not be unexpected considering that the Galaxy, representing Major League Soccer, faces off against Pachuca, which will carry the flag for the Mexican league.

But this?

As it turns out, the match, which marks the culmination of the month- long tournament between Mexican and MLS clubs and pays $1 million to the winner, presents such a conflict with the first week of fall semester classes at Cal State Dominguez Hills, which shares its campus with the Home Depot Center, that the Galaxy has agreed to limit tickets sales to 12,500 -- or less than half the stadium's 27,000-seat capacity.

For a club trying to expose more people to David Beckham and a tournament trying to establish credibility -- in both cases, particularly amongst Latinos -- limiting access could be a missed opportunity.

"It's not ideal, but we have a great relationship here being on the campus and we felt like it was appropriate to recognize their concerns and try to work with them," Galaxy president Alexi Lalas said. "We recognize that (Cal State Dominguez Hills) are not in the sports entertainment business. They're in the education business. School is in session and we realize a midweek game can be disruptive to the education process."

Another large mid-week crowd is expected Sept. 13 when the Galaxy plays Chivas USA, but ticket sales will not be limited for that or either of the two mid-week Galaxy or Chivas games scheduled this season.

The difference, according to a Home Depot Center spokesperson, is that the SuperLiga final was only scheduled two weeks ago. While there is no contractual provision limiting the number of tickets sold, the university controls many of the parking spots the team uses for games. Street parking in most neighborhoods surrounding the stadium is restricted to residents.

Janet Levine, the school's vice president of university advancement, who handled discussions with the Home Depot Center, did not return a phone call seeking comment.

A Galaxy spokesperson did not know how many tickets have been sold for next Wednesday's final, but Lalas said that the pace of ticket sales had "absolutely nothing" to do with the decision.

Donovan one goal away: Landon Donovan could become the United States' career scoring leader when the Americans play Sweden in an exhibition game today.

The 25-year-old forward is tied with Eric Wynalda with 34 goals for the national team. He also could break U.S. records for goals and points in a year. Donovan's nine goals equal the mark set by Wynalda in 1996, and his 21points match Cobi Jones' output in 2000.

Donovan's last competitive games in Europe for the national team were in the World Cup in Germany last year, when the U.S. didn't survive the first round.

"In the past we haven't played very well in Europe," Donovan said after the team's last workout Tuesday. "So for us it's another opportunity to do well against a European team in Europe. Obviously, the game doesn't mean anything towards anything. But it's a very good experience for us."

-- Associated Press 

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LANDON DONOVAN

With his next goal, will become the all-time leading scorer for the U.S. national team.