Mamadou Diallo

The story goes something like this: Team struggles out of the gate, coach gets run out of town, team responds, qualifies for a playoff spot and makes an improbable run to Major League Soccer's championship game under the new taskmaster, who is named the league's coach of the year. Sound familiar? Sure, the Galaxy wrote that script three years ago, when Sigi Schmid replaced Octavio Zambrano early in the 1999 season and steered the Galaxy to the MLS Cup title match.

A good offense beats a good defense any day of the week. Or is it the other way around? The answer, at least as far as Major League Soccer is concerned, should come shortly this afternoon when the final whistle is blown at the end of the league's fifth championship game. The match pits the Chicago Fire, the team with the best offensive record in MLS, against the Kansas City Wizards, who boast the league's best defense.

Six Galaxy players missed the team's loss to D.C. United at the Rose Bowl on Saturday because they were playing in qualifying games for the 2002 World Cup. Given what happened, the six should have stayed in Pasadena. * In Mazatenango, Guatemala, defender Greg Vanney was beaten in the air by Dwight Pezzarossi and defender Robin Fraser was beaten on the ground by Carlos Ruiz on the same play as Ruiz scored an 88th-minute goal to earn Guatemala a 1-1 tie with the United States. * In Kingstown, St.

WESTERN CONFERENCE GALAXY Coach: Sigi Schmid (second year). 1999 league rank: Second. Regular-season record: 20-12. Flown the coop: Carlos Hermosillo, DaMarcus Beasley. Arrivals lounge: Sasha Victorine, Danny Califf, Peter Vagenas. Prospects: Without the promised but not-yet delivered top-class striker, the Galaxy will find it difficult to improve on last season's record. Schmid has added depth with three Southern Californians, but the forward line lacks bite.

The Galaxy's ownership conglomerate, Anschutz Entertainment Group, made a concerted effort this week to reach out to the Southland's Korean community. So the team played host to a Korean Heritage Night at the Rose Bowl, inviting fans of the South Korean national team to revel in its World Cup success at the Galaxy's match against the Kansas City Wizards.

Adolfo Valencia scored his second goal of the game in the 93rd minute to give the New York-New Jersey MetroStars a 2-1 victory over New England on Saturday night in front of 12,688 at East Rutherford, N.J. Valencia tied it in the 88th minute to help the Eastern Division-leading MetroStars (14-9-2) end a two-game losing streak. New England dropped to 9-11-6. Valencia scored in overtime after Clint Mathis' shot was knocked over the goal line by the New England defense.

Josh Wolff scored twice in the second half and set up U.S. World Cup teammate DaMarcus Beasley's overtime goal as the Chicago Fire beat the New York-New Jersey MetroStars, 3-2, in a Major League Soccer game Saturday in front of 22,070 at East Rutherford, N.J. Andy Williams and Mamadou Diallo scored for the MetroStars, with Diallo forcing overtime with a penalty-kick goal in the 87th minute. The Fire (7-7-2) moved into a first-place tie with the MetroStars (7-8-2) in the Eastern Conference.

Before bemoaning what impact the loss of Brian McBride will have to the respective fortunes of the Columbus Crew and the U.S. national team, there's something else to consider: The well-being of the player himself. McBride has been a marquee figure in Major League Soccer since its inception in 1996. He, more than any other player, defines the Crew.

Top-ranked Lindsay Davenport underwent arthroscopic surgery on her right knee Friday and is expected to be sidelined for at least four months. Davenport's agent, Tony Godsick of IMG, said the surgery to correct a full thickness cartilage defect on the 25-year-old Davenport's lateral tibia was successful. Godsick wasn't immediately available for further comment. Dr. Richard Steadman of the Steadman-Hawkins Clinic in Vail, Colo.

Bobby Convey scored his first goal of the season in the eighth minute of sudden-death overtime to give D.C. United a 1-0 victory over the Galaxy on Saturday in front of 18,854 at Washington. It was the fifth loss in the last seven games for the Galaxy (6-6-2). At the top of the six-yard box, Convey outleaped defender Adam Frye to head in Ivan McKinley's cross from the left wing as United (6-6-1) got back to .500 and improved to 6-1-1 at home.