Playoff Opener Disaster: Colorado Rapids Blown Out in LA 5-0

CARSON, Calif. – If longtime and scared Rapids fans are saying they heard a bell, you wouldn’t fault them. Colorado Rapids played at LA Galaxy on Saturday night in the first game of the Best-of-Three series in the MLS Cup Playoffs. It went about as bad as it could have.

Rapids manager Chris Armas had some decisions to make. Djordje Mihailović was out so Omir Fernandez started at the No. 10. Cole Bassett was a late scratch, so Oli Larraz and Connor Ronan were in the double pivot. Reggie Cannon started at right back with captain Keegan Rosenberry on the left. Kévin Cabral started on the right flank.

For LA Galaxy, there were no big surprises. The Killer Ps of Puig, Pec, and Paintsil all started. Marco Reus was on the bench.

Colorado brought the pressing energy in the first half but LA Galaxy controlled the game. They had 71% possession and four shots in the first half. Colorado had no attempts on goal. Per FotMob, they had three touches in the opponent’s box. Cabral had a good run or two into space but nothing came of them.

Larraz got stuck in and fouled Puig, frustrating him. Pec had two looks at goal that went wide. His best opportunity came on a counter attack in the 9th minute, but the back line stepped up to make him offside. Pec nearly found Paintsil for a 1-v-1 with the keeper later in the half but the pass was wide.

The Gs got their goal in the 32nd. Dejan Joveljić beat Cannon on a header off a corner. The Serbian didn’t get much pace on the shot but he placed it perfectly towards the bottom corner to beat Zack Steffen. This after Cannon and Paintsil had several tussles on the ball. Cannon could have seen a card for a kick during a battle where he drew a foul at midfield from Paintsil.

“I wish I could have kicked a few people. I don’t mind that. We’re not a dirty team. Lowest yellow cards in the league. We need more bite in a game like this,” Armas said of the grittiness next game.

The start of the second half disastrously decisive for Colorado. Joveljić and Puig both had chances in the opening seconds. John Nelson made it 2-0 in the 52nd. Colorado were compact around a Galaxy attack that was shifted to one side of the box. Miki Yamane cut inside and found a late arriving Nelson who smashed it into the top corner. Getting worked by the opposing fullbacks is a bad sign.

Puig made it 3-0 in the 54th on a counter attack. Colorado raised their level an amount after that, but the game was in control. Galaxy sat back and did their thing in transition. Pec missed a breakaway. Puig hit the post. Joveljić scored again in the 75th. The Rapids finally had a shot attempt in the 80th when Ronan shot wide from outside the box. Navarro, Cannon, and Lewis showed their frustrations at times.

Puig scored again in the 87th to make the final score 5-0. Removing the context of the playoff format, this might be the worst playoff performance in club history. By goal differential, it is the worst postseason loss in club history.

Predictable defensive issues:

This game, the result, and the way it happened felt predictable in hindsight. Colorado had the same issues they did in the two regular season losses to LA. The pressing and compact defense were good for stretches. But they still made mistakes and got opened up on the counter.

One goal conceded off a set piece. One where the defense shifts and doesn’t handle space well (saw that in the two game at Portland). Two in transition. One garbage time goal where Puig does his thing. The Galaxy are a bad matchup for these Rapids.

“It takes 90 minutes. Putting in decent halves of soccer is not the way to victory. Give some credit to the Galaxy disrupting some attacks. We’ve got to be better with the ball. Got to make better decision in the final third. This can help you get more chances and limit transition moments which cost us in the second half,” said Armas.

The goal on the corner had the Gs up 1-0 at halftime and made it easy for them to do their thing. They were playing downhill from the start of the second half.

“We didn’t do a good enough job of that tonight. They punished us for it. The set piece in the first half, we take away. We go into halftime 0-0 it’s a different story,” added Rosenberry.

No Bassett + No Mihailović = No Offense.

Outshot 20-1. Shots on goal were 11-0. FotMob had the xG at 2.66-0.01. Colorado has lost all three games this year to LA. They were missing Mihailović in the first, Bassett in the second, and both for this game. They have nothing in possession or transition without them. Djordje is their best midfielder and attacker. Bassett is their most important player. They need them back Friday. If both are out again, I can’t see them getting a result.

This has the potential to be such an interesting matchup tactically. Both teams score a lot and concede a lot. One team’s attacking strength plays to the other’s defensive weakness. But for that to happen, it requires Colorado’s strength to show up. That’s not happened without Bassett and Mihailović. This fixture is predictable and one-sided.

“These guys are a catalyst for my attack and the focal point in so many ways. We can all be better. Hopefully we can get them back,” Armas said.

Mihailvoić remains day-to-day. Bassett had a setback due to a soft tissue issue that ruled him out the morning of the match.

Just win Friday’s home game:

The good news is there’s no aggregate scoreline. Colorado needs to win on Friday. That could be a PK shootout win after a 0-0 in 90 minutes. That’s all they would need to force a third leg. They do the same thing in that third leg, they win the series. The Rapids need to put this behind them, restudy how to do what they can in the attack and defense, and get healthy. Just find a way to win the home game on Friday. By any means.

“We knew we wanted to come home and win. Now we have to. We’ve done a good job of that all year, rebounding. I know that’s probably falling on deaf ears with the run of form currently,” said Rosenberry.

“However many goals you lose by here, the next game is the important one. We’re going to figure this out. I’m the type of coach that will look really hard at that and try and figure that out. That is the solution,” Armas said resolutely.

“How can we continue to disrupt their attack? Make it hard for Riqui Puig, which we did for long stretches until things open up. Goals change game. I’m sure we’re going to win the game in Colorado. I’m sure of it.”

Photo Credit: Mark Shaiken

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