RAPIDS SEEK TOP SPOT IN WEST AND LEAGUE WITH WIN OVER VISITING LOS ANGELES GALAXY SATURDAY

Colorado Looks To Shut Down League's Top Scorer For Second Time

Colorado Rapids vs. Los Angeles Galaxy - Kickoff: 2:00 MT
Saturday, June 1, 2002 
INVESCO Field - Denver, CO

Television: ESPN 2
Radio:  Radio Unica 1150-AM (Spanish)

RAPIDS ALL-TIME MLS RECORD v. GALAXY
Overall: 8-19-0 	Home: 6-7-0 		Away: 2-12-0
Shootout: 2-1 (1996-99) 	Overtime: 2-2-0 	Playoffs: 0-2-0

Match-up to watch for: The Rapids vs. The Little Fish (revisited):

Coming into the first match-up of the season between the clubs on 4/27 at the Rose Bowl, Galaxy foreign acquisition Carlos Ruiz had scored all six goals in the first four games for Los Angeles, earning him Player of the Week honors twice. As the first team to successfully shut down "The Little Fish," in 2002, Colorado went on to a 1-0 victory, thanks to the stingy play of defenders like Rick Titus, who personally made Ruiz his mission and will do so again this Saturday at INVESCO Field. Proving himself early and often this season, Ruiz currently leads all MLS scorers with eight goals, including two tallies in the past three games. Since joining the Rapids on 4/3 versus DC United, Titus has played in every minute of every game for the Western Conference leaders.

Colorado Rapids News and Notes:

* Get it Done in Regulation: Dating back to 2000, Colorado and Los Angeles have gone to overtime in 5 of the last 8 matches played between the clubs, in which the Rapids hold a slight 3-2-0 record. Colorado's last victory in regulation against the Galaxy at Mile High came on September 18, 1999. In the all-time series between the conference rivals in Denver, the Rapids have posted a 3-6-0 record in regulation-time games.

* Looking to Summit League Standings: A win on Saturday at INVESCO Field would put the Rapids back on top of both the league and Western Conference standings. Posting a 3-2-1 Conference mark (5-3-1 overall), the Rapids are currently No. 2 in the West and overall (16 pts.), trailing 2001 MLS Champion San Jose by one point.

* Carrieri Steps Up: In his third start of the year, Rapids forward Chris Carrieri tallied his first points of the season in the Rapids' 5-2 win over the New England Revolution. Starting in place of the injured John Spencer, Carrieri is projected to stay in the starting lineup until the captain returns. Last Wednesday's 5-2 win over New England could serve as Carrieri's break-through game of the season - a game in which he scored once and dished out two assists. The Rapids acquired the University of North Carolina graduate in a June 2001 trade with the San Jose Earthquakes. Following the trade, he started in 11 games and ended the regular season with 14 points in 14 games. His five goals and four assists placed him in the running for the Rookie of the Year Award.

* Miscellaneous Notes... ...The Rapids have only recorded back-to-back wins once in the all-time series against the Galaxy (1999) and have not won both at home and away in the same season since 1996.

Rapids Probable Starting Lineup
				GP	G	A	
G  	Scott Garlick   (5-3-1, 1.09 GAA)
D   	Ritchie Kotschau	9	0	1
D  	Robin Fraser		9	0	0
D	Rick Titus		7	0	0
D  	Jeff Stewart		9	0	1
M	Raul Palacios		3	0	1
M  	Wes Hart		9	0	1
M  	Chris Henderson		9	6	2
M  	Mark Chung		8	3	2
F  	Carlos Valderrama	8	0	4
F 	Chris Carrieri		7	1	2

COLORADO RAPIDS
2002 SCHEDULE AND RESULTS

Record: 5-3-1  Goals For: 14 Goals Against: 10
Home: 4-1-0   Road: 1-2-1

Day	Date		Opponent	Time/Result
Sat.	March 23	at Kansas City	1-1 T
SAT. 	MARCH 30	SAN JOSE	1-0 W
WED.	APRIL 3		DC UNITED  	2-0 W
SAT.	APRIL 13	METROSTARS	1-2 L
Sat.	April 20	at San Jose	0-2 L
Sat.	April 27	at Los Angeles	1-0 W
SAT.	MAY 11		KANSAS CITY	2-0 W
Sat.	May 18		at Dallas	1-3 L
WED.	MAY 22		NEW ENGLAND	5-2 W
SAT.	JUNE 1		LOS ANGELES	2:00pm
Sat.	June 8		at Dallas	6:30pm
SAT.	JUNE 15		NEW ENGLAND	7:00pm
Wed.	June 19		at DC United	5:30pm
Sat. 	June 22		at San Jose	8:00pm
Wed.	June 26		at MetroStars	5:30pm
THUR.  	JULY 4		CHICAGO		7:30pm
Sun. 	July 7		at Chicago	2:00pm
SAT.	JULY 13		LOS ANGELES	7:00pm
Sat. 	July 20		at Columbus	5:30pm
Wed.	July 24		at New England	5:30pm
SAT.	JULY 27		DALLAS		7:00pm 
SAT.	AUG. 10		COLUMBUS	7:00pm 
Sat.	Aug. 17		at Los Angeles	8:00pm
SAT.	AUG. 24		SAN JOSE	2:00pm 
Wed. 	Aug. 28		at New England	5:30pm
SUN.	SEPT. 1		DALLAS		7:00pm
Sat.	Sept. 14	at Kansas City	6:00pm
FRI. 	SEPT. 20	KANSAS CITY	7:00pm
HOME GAMES IN CAPS

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