The Los Angeles Galaxy has three Western Division titles and more regular-season wins than any other MLS club, but itÆs still looking for a championship. HereÆs a primer on L.A.Æs first five seasons, A to Z.

Andrew Shue (ôMelrose Placeö) saw action in five MLS games in æ96.

Bob Bradley is Galaxy nemesis No. 1. He outmaneuvered Octavio Zambrano for Chris Armas after the æ98 expansion draft, then stuffed L.A.Æs 85-goal attack in the æ98 semifinal. No Rose Bowl final for the Galaxy.

Paul Caligiuri played for the Crew, but his heart was in Pasadena. He sued MLS to honor a promised allocation to his hometown Galaxy, and an arbiter sided with the defender. After 14 games in æ97, Mark Semioli went to the MetroStars to open cap room for Caligiuri, who scored in his debut.

L.A.Æs had the top defense over MLSÆs first five seasons (1.27 GAA), a testament to Lothar OsianderÆs philosophy, Sigi SchmidÆs organization and some outstanding players. Galaxy goalkeepers, who have twice led the league (Jorge Campos, æ96; Kevin Hartman, æ99), benefitted from defenders such as Robin Fraser, Greg Vanney, Danny Califf, Joey Franchino, Steve Jolley and Dan Calichman. Caligiuri and Semioli are solid veterans, and Ezra Hendrickson has 10 goals and 14 assists since æ98. Throw in a strong defensive midfielder ù Armas, Danny Pena or Simon Elliott ù and L.A.Æs stinginess is no mystery.

Playmaker Mauricio Cienfuegos, hero to Southern CaliforniaÆs large community from El Salvador, is the biggest draw.

Two MLS Cups at Foxboro Stadium, two losses to D.C. United. A 2-0 lead disappears in the final 17 minutes in æ96, and everything goes wrong in æ99 after Fraser exits with a broken collarbone.

Greatest Galaxy goal? John Garvey? ItÆs true ù he finished after Campos spectacularly sombreroÆd past a Dallas defender in the æ96 regular-season finale.

Primary responsibility for Señors Hermosillo, Hernandez and Campos: Put butts in seats. But the Mexican trioÆs on-field showing is spotty. Jorge Campos lost focus after a fine 1996, and Carlos HermosilloÆs and Luis HernandezÆs arrivals caused upheavals. The lumbering Hermosillo put the brakes on L.A.Æs freewheeling attack in æ98, but he played in MLS Cup æ99. To get Hernandez in 2000, L.A. gave up three starters (Clint Mathis, Roy Myers and Franchino). While Hernandez struggled to acclimate, Mathis shone with the MetroStars.

Are idiots in charge? Look at the talent squandered: Armas. Ante Razov (waived twice). Semioli, Calichman and Jolley (traded for draft picks). Martin Machon (ôloanedö to a Mexican club).

Cobi Jones is MLSÆs No. 6 all-time scorer, thanks to a sensational æ98 (19, 13, 51). And no oneÆs better at drawing fouls. HeÆs been spilled 348 times, tops in MLS.

Call it Kramer vs. Kevin. One was going to be Jorge CamposÆ backup, the other, well, wasnÆt. Kevin Hartman got the nod because he berated lazy Eduardo Hurtado in training, showing spirit the coaches liked. He was No. 1 within a year.

Lothar Osiander instilled the first Galaxy team with a defensive temperament, and he built the side with an eye on chemistry. It paid off with a quick start, and the Galaxy was æ96 runner-up. A 3-9 start in æ97 cost the coach his job.

MetroStars? How about Galaxy East? ThereÆs Zambrano, of course, and Semioli, Mathis and Myers. And Zambrano quickly brought Jolley and Daniel Hernandez to Jersey.

Calichman was the GalaxyÆs leader its first three seasons. A broken leg eight games into the æ98 season was tempered by JolleyÆs performance, which persuaded Zambrano to send Calichman to New England for draft choices.

Three Galaxy rookies ù Califf, Sasha Victorine and Peter Vagenas ù played key roles in the U.S. medal run at last yearÆs Olympics.

Steve Sampson wanted Pena for a U.S. friendly in æ97. The fiery midfielder told the U.S. coach thanks, but no thanks. The friendly was just days before a showdown with D.C. United, and PenaÆs loyalties were clear. He never got another U.S. shot.

The Galaxy needed a good quack to get inside Eduardo HurtadoÆs head. El Tanque dominated MLS defenses in æ96, but fragile ego and differences with Zambrano killed his productivity. He was a MetroStar by early æ98.

The Galaxy has done exceptionally well in MLSÆs drafts, right from the start when it nabbed Robin Fraser with the fourth overall pick. Six of the seven players selected during the æ97 and æ98 college drafts (Jolley, Hartman, Mathis, Daniel Hernandez, Matt Reis and Franchino) have stuck with MLS; only Hartman and Reis remain in L.A.

Sigi Schmid, who won three NCAA titles at UCLA, took charge in April 1997, bringing greater structure to the Galaxy. Los Angeles reached the final, and Schmid was voted coach of the year. His 2000 team was unbeaten after 11 games, but he was forced to start over when Luis Hernandez arrived. A difficult season nearly ended when K.C. prevailed in a semifinal tiebreaker.

The Galaxy has no trophies. Runners-up in æ96 and æ98, and again at the 1997 CONCACAF Champions Cup.

There was a heavy UCLA presence on the Galaxy before Schmid. Fourteen Bruins have been with L.A., five of them ù Vanney, Jones, Hartman, Caligiuri and Zak Ibsen ù playing in at least 50 matches.

GM/President Danny VillanuevaÆs dad, Danny Sr., was president of the NASLÆs Aztecs. After three seasons, Villanueva and L.A. Soccer Partners LP sold out to Fire-Rapids owner Philip F. Anschutz.

L.A.Æs name is stamped on MLSÆs two longest winning streaks: 12 to start æ96 and 15 in 1997-98.

A training center would be Xanadu for the Galaxy, which has practiced at nearly a dozen sites around Southern California.

ZambranoÆs youth movement of æ99 involved seven players younger than 25 ù Hartman, Vanney, Jolley, Franchino, Mathis, Daniel Hernandez and Welton ù but L.A. had no regulation wins after five games, and Zambrano was gone.

Octavio Zambrano, OsianderÆs assistant, stepped in as ôinterimö coach and L.A. finished 12-5 but fell to Dallas in the playoffs. More attack-minded than his predecessor, Zambrano utilized a speedy counterattack led by Cienfuegos and Jones to destroy most of the opposition in æ98 while his defense surrendered the fewest goals in MLS.

by Soccer America senior editor Scott French in Los Angeles