Galaxy weather Rapids, win 2-0
Ned Grabavoy had given the Galaxy a lead in the 39th minute when his free kick found its way into the Colorado goal, then Ruiz put a frustrating night to rest when his free kick 10 minutes from the end also just found its way past Rapids 'keeper Joe Cannon.
Ruiz struggled to stay onside for much of the match. He was called offsides four times - twice each half - and his passing attempts also came up short, including a pair of heel passes in the box which didn't find a connection. Until he scored, his best chance was in the 63rd minute, when he sliced a shot toward goal but couldn't beat Cannon.
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It was the ninth goal for Ruiz, who has scored in eight of the 10 matches he has played this season. The goal gives him a league-leading 20 points as well.
Early on, the Galaxy looked out of sync in the midfield without Andreas Herzog, who was suspended due to caution point accumulation. Cobi Jones and Grabavoy stood out in the midfield while youngster Guillermo Gonzalez struggled to find his place.
The defensive line held strong despite the absence of Chris Albright, who is in Chicago with the U.S. national team for its match with Poland. Paul Broome played well on the left side and Chris Aloisi held tough on the right in his second consecutive start.
But the Galaxy defense needed some assistance in the 19th minute. Rapids midfielder John Spencer ripped a shot to the far post and past Galaxy goalkeeper Kevin Hartman, but instead of finding the net, it clanged off the post.
Grabavoy proved why he's one of the top rookies in the MLS with his goal in the 39th minute. He took a hard foul from Kyle Beckerman just outside of the area before recovering and curling in a beautiful service into the goalmouth that Tyrone Marshall tried to touch. The Jamaican international didn't make contact, but it distracted Cannon enough so the ball bounced off his chest and into the goal.
After Ruiz gave the Galaxy their insurance goal late in the second half, the Rapids had a golden opportunity to pull a goal back in the in the 87th minute. Chris Aloisi was called for a handball in the penalty area and Spencer stepped up to take the penalty. He blasted his shot almost down the center of the goal, but Hartman dove and kicked the ball out.
The win helped the Galaxy improve their hold on the Western Conference lead with a 9-5-3 record and 30 points. The Rapids fell to 5-3-7 and remained at 21 points. The Galaxy are now winners of three consecutive games while ending the Rapids three-game win streak. The Galaxy play four consecutive road games and do not return to Home Depot Center until August 14. The Galaxy and Rapids will play again on Wednesday at Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium in Denver (9:30 p.m. ET).
MLSnet.com Man of the Match: Ned Grabavoy (Los Angeles Galaxy)
Colorado Rapids (5-4-6) vs. Los Angeles Galaxy (9-5-3)
July 10, 2004 -- The Home Depot Center
Scoring Summary:
LA -- Ned Grabavoy 1 (unassisted) 39
LA -- Carlos Ruiz 9 (unassisted) 80
Colorado Rapids -- Joe Cannon, Antonio de la Torre, Nat Borchers, Matt Crawford, Ritchie Kotschau, Chris Henderson (Seth Trembly 70), Kyle Beckerman (Gary Sullivan 76), Joey DiGiamarino (Jordan Cila 46), Daryl Powell, John Spencer, Alberto Delgado.
Substitutes Not Used: Michael Erush, Scott Vallow.
TOTAL SHOTS: 10 (John Spencer 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 3 (John Spencer 2); FOULS: 22 (Alberto Delgado 5); OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 6 (Matt Crawford 3, Antonio de la Torre 3); SAVES: 4 (Joe Cannon 4)
Los Angeles Galaxy -- Kevin Hartman, Chris Aloisi, Tyrone Marshall, Ryan Suarez, Paul Broome, Cobi Jones, Guillermo Gonzalez (Alejandro Moreno 54), Sasha Victorine, Ned Grabavoy, Carlos Ruiz (Joseph Ngwenya 89), Jovan Kirovski.
Substitutes Not Used: Josh Gardner, Ricky Lewis, Hong Myung-Bo, Dan Popik, Arturo Torres, Peter Vagenas.
TOTAL SHOTS: 9 (3 tied with 2); SHOTS ON GOAL: 6 (Ned Grabavoy 2, Carlos Ruiz 2); FOULS: 20 (Chris Aloisi 6); OFFSIDES: 8 (Carlos Ruiz 4); CORNER KICKS: 5 (Ned Grabavoy 4); SAVES: 3 (Kevin Hartman 3)
Misconduct Summary:
COL -- Joey DiGiamarino (caution; Reckless Foul) 12
LA -- Guillermo Gonzalez (caution; Tackle from Behind) 30
COL -- Daryl Powell (caution; Professional Foul) 59
LA -- Chris Aloisi (caution; Reckless Foul) 62
LA -- Ryan Suarez (caution; Dissent) 82
Referee: Abiodun Okulaja
Referee's Assistants: Chris Strickland; Richard Eddy
4th Official: Baldomero Toledo
Attendance: 24,895
Time of Game: 1:55
Weather: Clear-and-70-degrees
All Statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial
