MLS GAME SUMMARY -- LA 3, COL 2 (April 28, 2001)

DENVER -- The Los Angeles Galaxy recorded their second straight victory Saturday afternoon, knocking off the Colorado Rapids 3-2 at Mile High Stadium. Cobi Jones netted two goals in the victory, while teammates Peter Vagenas and Mauricio Cienfuegos each notched two assists.

Los Angeles' long counter-attack plays finally found Jones open downfield, as Vagenas launched a rocket to the feet of the speedy midfielder. Jones outpaced defender Lance Key, who tracked Jones throughout the game. As the pair raced into the box, Jones got a step on Key, finding the space he needed to put the ball over a sprawling Adin Brown for the opening goal in the 22nd minute of play.

In the 44th minute, Colorado forward Junior Agogo evened the score with a breakaway goal. Midfielder Jason Moore turned with the ball and launched a high, arcing pass behind the Galaxy defense. Agogo, who was kept onside by trailing defender Danny Califf, raced onto the ball for the shot. His attempt beat goalkeeper Matt Reis, knotting the game at 1-1.

Moments later, Jones stuck again to give Los Angeles the lead at the half. Vagenas played a long ball from midfield, hitting open space at the top of the penalty arc. Jones got a step on his defender, stabbing the ball into the top of the net.

The Galaxy widened the gap in the 69th minute, as Sasha Victorine capitalized on a broken play to score his second goal of the year. Forward Brian Mullan started the play when he attempted to dribble into the Colorado box. Brown came off of his line to knock the shot away, but got tangled with Mullan on the ground. Cienfuegos' attempt on the loose ball careened back into play, where Victorine was able to put the ball into the back of the unmanned net.

Second-half substitute John Spencer brought the Rapids to within one and electrified the crowd with his stunning 30-yard blast in the 86th minute. Defender Marcelo Balboa crossed the ball in to a wide-open Spencer from the left flank, who immediately looked downfield for Agogo. Finding his target tightly marked, the Scottish forward hammered a shot from the center of the field that found the back of the net.

Spencer's dramatic goal charged the Rapids, who renewed their attack in earnest. It was not enough, however, and the Galaxy went on to claim three points in the standings. Looming large in the mind of Colorado Head Coach Tim Hankinson is a pair of near-goals from the first half, that may have changed the course of the game. Midfielder Paul Bravo's point-blank header in the 33rd minute easily beat Brown, but struck the underside of the crossbar and was successfully cleared out by the Galaxy. Likewise, an ambitious 25-yard shot from Balboa in the 35th minute struck the far post and rolled out for a corner, missing the net by mere inches.

Los Angeles (2-2-0, 6 points) may have solved its goalkeeper controversy for the time being, as Reis will likely lead the Galaxy against the Kansas City Wizards on Saturday, May 5th (10:00 p.m. ET). Colorado (0-3-1, 1 point) continues to struggle in the standings, despite some quality play. The Rapids will seek to turn it around on Saturday, when they travel to the Cotton Bowl to face the Dallas Burn.

Scoring Summary:
LA --Jones (Vagenas, Cienfuegos) 22
COL--Agogo (Moore, Balboa) 44
LA --Jones (Vagenas) 47+
LA --Victorine (Cienfuegos, Mullan) 69
COL--Spencer (Balboa, Paule) 86

LOS ANGELES GALAXY--Matt Reis, Ezra Hendrickson, Danny Califf, Paul
Caligiuri, Greg Vanney, Peter Vagenas (Danny Pena 65), Simon Elliott, Sasha
Victorine (Adam Frye 73), Mauricio Cienfuegos, Cobi Jones, Brian Mullan
(Brian Ching 91+)
TOTAL SHOTS: 14 (Mullan 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 5 (Jones 2); FOULS: 24 (Califf
4); OFFSIDE: 10; CORNER KICKS: 2; SAVES: Reis 6; CAUTIONS: Califf 36,
Elliott 39, Cienfuegos 44, Vanney 56; EJECTIONS: none

COLORADO RAPIDS--Adin Brown, Chris Martinez, Lance Key, Steven Herdsman,
Marcelo Balboa, Seth Trembly, Imad Baba (John Spencer 54), Paul Bravo
(Neathan Gibson 73), Jason Moore, Ross Paule (Scott Vermillion 87), Junior
Agogo
TOTAL SHOTS: 21 (Agogo 5, Balboa 5); SHOTS ON GOAL: 8 (Bravo 3); FOULS: 16
(Agogo 3); OFFSIDE: 2; CORNER KICKS: 5; SAVES: Brown 2; CAUTIONS: Herdsman
79; EJECTIONS: none

Referee: Rich Grady; Referee's Assistants: Glenn Prechac, Emiliano Monje
Attendance: 8,309; Weather: Partly Cloudy, 70 deg, Partly Cloudy

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