Needed: People who remember LA Galaxy 1998

Yes, I remember the team well but am really bad about their positions. I'd have to look at some of my photos. Did you check the Galaxy media guides? Sometimes they have information like that about different games. I'll try to check one of my old books.

 

It's a little difficult in that there was a fair amount of change in the typical lineup througout the season.

Reasons: Cobi to WC98, Hermosillo in Mexico to start the season, Calichman's injury, etc.

That said this is a rough recollection:

----------------Hartman--------------------

Ezra-------Jolley--------Fraser-------Vanney

-----------------Pena-----------------------

Jones------------Cien----------------Machon

----------Welton--------Hermosillo-----------

Others with significant playing time:

Mathis
Caligiuiri
Franchino

 

Pretty much the only constants for the Galaxy were Hartman in goal, Fraser in central defense, Pena at d-mid, and Cienfuegos and Machon in midfield. Everyone else played a bunch of different positions, or was platooned to some degree, or moved around when Hermosillo joined.

Opening day lineup was Hartman, Vanney, Calichman, Fraser, Caligiuri, Pena, Cobi, Cienfuegos, Machon, Welton, and Hurtado. Tanque was the first to go, and in subsequent games Cobi moved up to forward. Clint Mathis in theory replaced Cobi in midfield - in practice, though, he didn't start nearly as much as you would have thought. Being a rookie, and all.

Ezra Hendrickson, acquired off waivers, played his way into the lineup, as did rookie Joey Franchino - once Calichman was injured for the rest of the year, you'd usually see Ezra at right back. The other central defender alongside Fraser was usually Steve Jolley, but occasionally Paul Caligiuri. Left back was any of Caligiuri, Greg Vanney, or Franchino. (Vanney wasn't as good back then as he is now.)

Welton was sent to the bench when Hermosillo arrived, although it was not a widely popular move. In retrospect Cobi should have been sent to the wing (where he plays nowadays, more or less), but he wasn't.

The starting lineup for the shootout loss in Chicago which ended the season: Hartman, Caligiuri, Fraser, Jolley, Franchino, Pena, Machon, Cienfuegos, Jones, Hendrickson and Hermosillo. Welton, Greg Vanney, and Clint Mathis came on as subs. I doubt Ezra actually played forward, although in any case this lineup helps explain why Zambrano was let go early the next season.

Daniel Hernandez would usually replace Pena when the latter was suspended. Harut Karapetyan replaced Cobi while the latter was in France - until Harut talked himself out of town after Hermosillo arrived. (He felt at least he should have been ahead of Welton on the depth chart, when people had trouble believing Hermosillo should have been ahead of Welton in the depth chart.) Wellington Sanchez, acquired in the Hurtado trade, was given a few of what should have been Mathis' starts, until people realized Wellington was either garbage, Zambrano's son, or both. (No one was more surprised than I was to see Wellington Sanchez on a World Cup roster, but there he was for Ecuador in 2002. He was still garbage, though.)

So basically take a 4-4-2, go straight up the middle with Hartman, Fraser, Pena, Machon, Cienfuegos, Jones, and Hermosillo, and throw in the rest pretty much at random. That's what Zambrano did, after all.