SOCCER ROUNDUP: GALAXY'S LUCK ALL BAD IN LOSS TO FC DALLAS.

Byline: Daily News Staff and Wire Services

An own goal, a deflected shot and an unfortunate rebound conspired to derail the Galaxy on Wednesday night, dropping it below .500 and into third place in the MLS's Western Conference with only three regular-season games to play.

Rookie Troy Roberts was credited for the own goal, in the 34th minute, and Roberto Mina scored twice in the next 11 minutes as FC Dallas claimed a critical 4-1 victory at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas.

Dallas (12-9-6, 42 points) grabbed sole possession of second place - important come playoff time - and kept alive its slim prospects of catching San Jose in the West. It was Dallas' second successive win following a 10-game winless streak that cost it the conference lead.

The Galaxy (11-12-6, 39 points), which has clinched a playoff berth but cannot finish better than second, gets another shot at Dallas in league play, Oct. 1 at Home Depot Center, but L.A.'s longtime rival has five games remaining, giving it a sizable advantage heading down the stretch.

The teams also meet next Wednesday at HDC in the U.S. Open Cup final.

Galaxy goalkeeper Kevin Hartman, back on the field after missing last weekend's draw at Kansas City, had a rough outing. Although Roberts' name was attached to the own goal, the fault was all Hartman's, and his inability to hold onto Ramon Nunez's shot just before halftime gifted Mina his second goal.

It started out well for the former UCLA star, who made back-to-back diving saves in the third minute, leaping to his right to deny Mina from 22 yards, then to his left to stop Arturo Alvarez on the rebound.

Hartman stopped nearly everything else within his reach, but a rolling pass from Roberts - with no Dallas forwards racing in to apply pressure - proved too much for him. The keeper, never known for strong footwork, turned his ankle at the last moment, and the ball bounced over his shoe and into the net.

Roberts was again victimized three minutes later, when Mina used a nifty move to pull away from him in the box, cut back, then fired from an abrupt angle. The ball bounced off little-used Costa Rican defender Pablo Chinchilla and landed inside the near-post, leaving Hartman no chance.

Mina's second goal, his seventh of the season, came in the 45th minute. Hartman went to the ground to get his hands on Nunez's blast from the right, but he couldn't hold on, and Mina blasted it home.

--McBride leads Fulham: U.S. national team striker Brian McBride's goal in the final minute of overtime lifted Fulham to a 5-4 victory over Lincoln City in the second round of the English League Cup. Fulham outscored Lincoln City 3-2 in a 30-minute extra period after a 2-2 regulation tie.

--Onyewu scores for Standard: U.S. defender Oguchi Onyewu scored a goal as Standard Liege topped defending Belgian champion Club Bruges 2-0 to remain atop the first- division standings.