Crunch time for goalkeeper Kevin Hartman and FC Dallas against the Galaxy Sunday (AP Photo).

FC Dallas goalkeeper Kevin Hartman, 36, who played high school soccer in the South Bay and also played for Cal State Dominguez Hills and UCLA, played about 300 games for the Galaxy between 1997 and 2006 before moving onto the Kansas City Wizards and now Dallas.

He lost just one game this year between the posts for FC Dallas and had the best goals against average in the league.

I spoke to him before FC Dallas practiced Saturday morning at Home Depot Center, ahead of Sunday’s Western Conference final against the Galaxy.

Question: Does it feel weird coming back to the campus of Cal State Dominguez Hills to play where you played so many times for the Galaxy, the Palos Verdes Peninsula where you played in high school visible to the south?

Answer: Not really. It’s probably the most important game I’ve played against the Galaxy since I left. It was funny because yesterday I was driving around and I’m forgetting where streets were. You know that Coffee Beans & Things on Hawthorne (Boulevard, near the Torrance Marriott, where the team is staying)? I was like where is this Coffee Beans – did they move it? And it was hidden over there behind that office building (the South Bay Tower, home of the Daily Breeze).

It’s good to get home and see family and friends. You can’t beat the weather – it’s a nice time of the year to be here.

Q: How do you regard the relationship you’ve had with Galaxy fans?
A: I always thought they treated me very fairly. I would always go out of my way to be decent to them and show them a level of respect. They’ve always been supportive of me – even after I left. This will be the game they will have the most difficulty in terms of supporting me.

Q: Did you thing you’d be a “lifer” with the Galaxy and do you still have a piece of the club inside you?
A: I was very content to play on one team as long as I did. To be on one team in professional sport for 10 years isn’t something that happens very often. You always take a bit of the culture (away with you) – something from your fans, something from your teammates.

Some of those things are never going to be the same. When I was playing here they were green and gold. Now its been re-branded. It’s obviously a bit different now. … There are still guys in the organization, people in the front office I keep in touch with. (Of his former teammates only Landon Donovan, Todd Dunivant and Jovan Kirovski are still with the club, he observed)

Q: After what happened in the close season with Kansas essentially rejecting you and the great season you’ve had with Dallas do you feel vindicated?
A: Not really. I think the biggest thing for me was trying to reward Schellas and FC Dallas for stepping up at an awkward time and really picking me up and giving me the opportunity to do something I really love doing.

I don’t really work that way. It’s nice to be able to work hard and have things pay off for you. But I try to keep all that negativity out of my system as much as I possibly can.

My numbers are obviously the best they’ve ever been – significantly. But whose to say with goalkeeping? … I feel it was a good year in terms of what I was able to get done and organizing the defense. The guys have been willing to work and listen to the information I’m trying to relate. Honestly, I would say it’s one of my better years, yeah.

Q: On Sunday we will have the best goalkeeper statistically in MLS facing off against arguably the best striker in MLS – Edson Buddle, who is having a career year. Have you been looking at a lot of tape of Mr. Buddle and what are his strengths?

A: He’s a pretty dynamic striker. It’s not something where he only comes at you from one angle. But you certainly pay attention to the types of things that he does or where he feels most comfortable – just make sure we keep an eye on him.

It remains to be seen what type of service he is going to get.

He does a pretty good job of sitting in spaces where it is difficult for defenders to find him. He makes good solid runs and maybe catches guys off guard. It’s as much my responsibility to let those guys know exactly where Edson is sitting and try to relay that when he’s starting to make a run and make sure they know it’s coming and from which direction and which way he’s headed.

Q: And how do you deal with crosses delivered with the precision of a David Beckham?
A: I was very impressed what he was doing with the ball. even some of those balls no one was getting on the end of were certainly (in) very, very dangerous places. we have to make sure we put pressure on him and don’t take it easy on him.

Q: Your coach said earlier this week on the conference call you want to play until you’re 45. True?
A: I want to play as long as it feels right. I certainly feel this year has been a step in that direction. It’s nice to be in with a new group (of players) – it’s almost like starting anew. I just want to thank those guys for stepping up when I didn’t have a team like in March when it was very, very late at the end of the pre-season. I’ve got a lot to play for.

You usually live on a week to week basis off of your results and whether you have tied, won or lost. I’ve only had to really deal with losing a game once this season. You can go through huge stretches of time and not really ever experience that, I don’t think. So it’s one of those things where I’ve been able to enjoy my weeks for an extended period of time this year and that’s not something that has ever really gone on. It’s tough to fathom it has been like that. You really try and plug away and do the things that got us there the week before – put ourselves in a position to be successful.