The Los Angeles Galaxy played the role of the tired champion Wednesday night, too slow to fight back but too proud to get floored by the Rapids.
Colorado graciously beat on the Galaxy for 90 minutes at Invesco Field at Mile High before walking away with a 1-0 victory that was hard to look at from either locker room.
Dedi Ben-Dayan scored his first goal of the season in the 34th minute to save the Rapids blushes from a game where they struggled to finish despite dominating possession and generating loads of scoring opportunities.
“We’ve got to start killing teams off and go get that second goal and then go for that third goal,” said midfielder Terry Cooke, who recorded his Major League Soccer-best sixth assist of the season on Ben-Dayan’s winner.
The victory moved the Rapids (4-3-2) into a tie for second in the Western Conference while dooming the Galaxy (2-7-1), which hasn’t beaten the Rapids in the regular season in Denver since July 13, 2002, to a growing list of dubious distinctions.
The defending MLS champion Galaxy tied a team record with its fifth straight loss, was shut out for the seventh time in 10 games and extended its scoreless streak to 480 minutes, a team record and the fourth longest in MLS history.
The Galaxy, which is missing several key stars, failed to score in May and is tied with Chivas USA for the worst record in MLS, but has played three more games than its California rival.
Arguably the most fight the Galaxy showed Wednesday was in the form of a second- half shoving match between Herculez Gomez and Rapids defender Mike Petke.
“I wouldn’t say they were desperate,” Rapids defender Eric Denton said of the Galaxy. “It just looked like a lack of passion, in general.”
Rapids coach Fernando Clavijo praised his team’s defense, which trapped the Galaxy for seven offside calls, but found little relief in Colorado’s risky closure.
“We need to finish games like this,” he said. “We didn’t do enough of a good job. We allowed them to think that they may have a chance, when realistically they shouldn’t.”
Rapids goalie Bouna Coundoul got his third start in place of Joe Cannon, out with an injured groin, and made four saves for his second shutout of the season – both against the Galaxy.
Ben-Dayan and Cooke were guilty of squandering good chances before finally hooking up in the 34th minute.
Cooke swung a corner in from the right that Ben-Dayan managed to redirect past goalie Steve Cronin with a stabbing foot just under the nose of Colorado native Todd Dunivant.
Los Angeles 0 0 – 0
Colorado 1 0 – 1
First half – 1, Colorado, Ben-Dayan 1 (Cooke), 34th minute.
Second half – None.
Goalies – Los Angeles, Cronin; Colorado, Coundoul.
A – 6,819 (27,000).
