Record nice, but Landon wants ring

DENVER -- Los Angeles Galaxy fans can be forgiven for thinking this game was pre-scripted. The early storyboards would have gone something like this: come out aggressive, count on Cobi Jones to read the field and find the holes in the Rapids defense, and get the ball between Landon Donovan and the net.

Jones and Donovan did not disappoint. Facing the Colorado Rapids in the winner-take-all Western Conference Championship, the tandem teamed together to score the decisive first goal 28 minutes into the game, with Jones making a run down the right side, sending a rolling cross to the near post, and leaving it to Donovan to bury the ball beyond the reach of a leaping Joe Cannon.

From Donovan's perspective, that first goal was "all Cobi."

"He understands the game," Donovan said of the MLS original winger. "He just gets it. This time he was pretty alone, but if he's not alone, I'm going to get in the box, he's going to find me, and it worked again."

After Colorado took an aggressive approach early in the first half, L.A. determined if it could get numbers back behind the ball as quickly as possible, they could take advantage of the fact that that Colorado was committing so many of its resources forward and create some opportunities.

Donovan made his near post run, prepared all the while to start near and cut back to the far post, but he sensed he already had Colorado's Pablo Mastroeni beat, just as Jones saw the situation unfolding in front of the goal.

"He always sees it," Landon said of the visionary veteran. "I started far, and I was going to go near and maybe cut back far, but Pablo didn't turn and look at me, so I just kept going and Cobi put it in the perfect spot. If he puts it a little closer, it's tough for me to get around it. I can't say I was trying to put it there. I was trying to get something on it and hard, and it worked."

The early goal gave the Galaxy all the momentum they needed in the eventual 2-0 victory against the Rapids, but perhaps more importantly, it gave them the confidence to play tough for the final hour, earning a ticket to MLS Cup 2005 in Frisco, Texas, next week.

"To score first provided a lot of confidence for our boys," said head coach Steve Sampson. "It forced Colorado to make some changes. It opened things up a bit, and when you have guys like Landon and Herculez [Gomez] and Cobi with that great speed -- [for Colorado] to get behind, it's a bit risky."

If there was any risk remaining in the game after Landon's first goal, he eliminated it all with his second two minutes from the end.

Picking up a ball from Pete Vagenas at the midfield stripe, Landon dribbled through a trio of Rapids defenders before seeing the net and burying Colorado's season by curling another shot past Cannon.

"It was kind of weird, I got it caught up a little and almost went down, but just said what the hell, just keep trying," Donovan said, recalling how he nearly tripped over the ball while maneuvering around Rapids defender Ritchie Kotschau at the edge of the penalty area.

"I kind of outran one of them and somehow stumbled through. It was just random, but it worked out. I was pretty proud of myself. It was a pretty good effort."

The effort further cemented Donovan's reputation as the MLS's Captain Clutch, his two goals on the night setting the all-time record with 14 goals in the MLS Cup Playoffs.

"That's cool, but I don't really care," Donovan said of the historic feat. "I will one day. I'm not going to lie, but I want to keep going. I want to win. It's about winning championships."

The goals gave Donovan four goals in the three playoff games, and he's played a part in every Galaxy postseason goal this year.

"Yeah, I need more though," Donovan said, reluctant to start resting on his laurels. "We got one more; I need more. We tend to get excited, but it doesn't matter. If we lose next week, nobody cares."

Colorado kept the pressure on throughout the game, trying to turn the tables and forcing L.A. to dodge bullets in a tense fight to the finish. They nearly tied the game in the first half, when Terry Cooke took a corner kick and Jean Philippe Peguero headed home, but the goal was disallowed as referee Brian Hall has already blown his whistle to deal with some shoving in the area.

Galaxy goalie Kevin Hartman made three saves, but the hardest shot he took was from Eric Denton in the second half, a full force blast from four yards away on a ball that was already over the endline when Denton kicked it, and nearly took Hartman out as it bounced off his face.

"The key was just closing down the midfield, wining the individual battles, making sure you shut down [Jeff] Cunningham and Peguero," said Sampson of L.A.'s impenetrable backline. "Hartman obviously needed to come up with a big game and he did. Then of course your goal scorers have to score goals, and Landon certainly did that today."

Owen Perkins is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.