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reprint of COLORADO RAPIDS NEWS RELEASE -- byline Andy Engel
NEWS RELEASE
DENVER (Monday, June 3, 2002) - The Colorado Rapids defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy 3-2 Saturday afternoon in a tightly contested, fast-paced match at INVESCO Field. Los Angeles' Carlos Ruiz scored two goals in the losing effort, but his output was matched by Colorado's Mark Chung.
Los Angeles spent the first half attempting to find Carlos Ruiz in front of the Rapids net. In the 32nd minute, the Galaxy tactic paid off as Mauricio Cienfuegos slipped a ball through the defense to Ruiz near the corner of the penalty area. Ruiz quickly took the shot, slotting the ball through the legs of Colorado `keeper Scott Garlick.
The Rapids had an excellent opportunity to even the match in the 36th minute, when Galaxy defender Alexi Lalas was called for tripping Colorado's Ritchie Kotschau on the edge of the penalty area. Midfielder Carlos Valderrama took the restart, setting the lateral pass up for Kyle Beckerman. Beckerman's blast was driven directly at Reis, however, and the Galaxy keeper easily kept the ball under control.
Reigning MLS Player of the Week Mark Chung netted his fourth goal of the season in the 42nd minute, beating Reis from the top of the box to knot the score at 1-1. Carrieri handled the ball well in tight space near the penalty arc, freezing the defense with a crisp pass to Chung. Chung released the ball quickly, snapping a shot past Reis and into the back of the net.
The Galaxy pressed from the opening of the second half, earning a dangerous free kick in the second minute of the half. Gavin Glinton took the ball to the Colorado defense, driving straight down toward the goal. Rapids defender Rick Titus hauled down Glinton to prevent the breakaway, and the Galaxy were given the restart at the edge of the box. Cienfuegos hammered a shot over the wall, but saw his attempt strike the crossbar and rebound back into play.
Second-half substitute Sasha Victorine provided the Galaxy with an immediate offensive spark, capitalizing on a defensive breakdown to set up Ruiz's second goal of the night. Peter Vagenas sent a long ball to Victorine in the box, where Victorine laid it off for Ruiz. With Victorine double-teamed by the Rapids' defenders, Ruiz was unmarked as he sent in a crisp shot to take the lead in the 65th minute.
The Galaxy did not hold the lead for long, as Valderrama got his first goal of the season to answer in the 67th minute of play. Midfielder Raul Palacios headed an errant Galaxy clearance down to Valderrama's feet in the center of the field, about 23 yards from goal. "El Pibe" chipped the ball over the head of Reis, brushing the underside of the crossbar for a beautiful goal.
The Rapids took the lead for the first time in the game with a 76th minute goal by Chung, his second of the night and his fourth in two games. Jeff Stewart carried the ball in from midfield, dishing the ball forward to Chung near the top of the box. With a quick two-touch release, Chung unleashed another long-range shot to beat Reis. Chung's shot from twenty yards out flashed across the face of the goal and settled in the side netting, giving Colorado a 3-2 win.
Colorado (6-3-1, 19 points) faces the Dallas Burn in the Cotton Bowl next Saturday, June 8, broadcasted live on Fox Sports Rocky Mountain at 8 p.m.
Colorado Rapids midfielder Mark Chung was selected as Major League Soccer's Player of the Week for the week ending June 2, 2002. For the second time in as many games, Chung scored twice, as Colorado posted a 3-2 victory over Western Conference rival Los Angeles Galaxy Saturday afternoon in Denver. After scoring twice in his last outing, a 5-2 victory over the New England Revolution on May 22, Chung, the reigning MLS Player of the Week, netted his fourth goal of the season in the 42nd minute against Los Angeles and then smashed home the game-winner in the 76th minute for his second goal of the afternoon and fourth in two games. Chung, a University of South Florida product, joins Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Cobi Jones, Dallas Burn forward Jason Kreis, MetroStars striker Clint Mathis and Chicago Fire forward Ante Razov as the only players in League history to be awarded Player of the Week honors in consecutive weeks. Major League Soccer's Player of the Week is selected every Monday throughout the MLS season by a panel of journalists from PSRA. The four goals in ten days by Chung have come on his last eight shots, improving his season tally to five goals, two assists and the No. 2 position in team scoring, while ranking 8th overall in league scoring.
The Rapids will host their weekly media luncheon on Wednesday, June 5 at Croc's Mexican Grill at 1 p.m. As an alternative to the usually scheduled media luncheon held on Tuesdays at the Westminster Training Facility, this week's event has been moved to coincide with the 1 p.m. ESPN2 broadcast of the United States versus Portugal first-round World Cup match from Suwon, Korea. Croc's, the Rapids' official home away from home, is located just north of the corner of 16th and Market in LoDo at 1630 Market Street.
Ten days after recording his milestone 100th career assist, midfielder Carlos Valderrama scored his first-ever goal for the Rapids, helping the club to a 3-2 win over Los Angeles at INVESCO Field. Pibe "wowed" fans with a pin-point chip shot in the 67th minute, beating an unsuspecting Matt Reis from nearly 25 yards out. Perfectly placed, the ball caught the underside of the crossbar, bouncing straight down and into the net to equalize the score at two a piece. His first-ever goal for Colorado, the tally was also his first in MLS play since 5/19/01 as a member of the Tampa Bay Mutiny. Valderrama currently has one goal, four assists on the season and is fourth in team scoring.
Rapids rookie defender Jeff Stewart and newcomer Raul Palacios wrote their names into the scoring charts for the second straight game on Saturday after each claiming their first MLS helpers in the 5-2 win over New England on 5/22. Stewart an early candidate for MLS Rookie of the Year honors, recorded two assists in the 3-2 victory over the Galaxy on Saturday, including the game-winner on Chung's 76th minute strike. With three helpers on the season, Stewart is now tied for second in MLS with two game winners. Palacios, also posting an assist for the second straight game, now has three assists in just four games since making his midfield debut for Colorado on 5/11 against Kansas City.
In posting his sixth win, second-year Colorado goalkeeper Scott Garlick matched Chicago's Zach Thornton as the all-time win leader in MLS history, earning No. 70 after Saturday's 3-2 defeat of the Los Angeles Galaxy. After ten games, Garlick is tied with San Jose's Joe Cannon for the league's top spot in goalkeeper wins and could be on a pace to rival his career-best 1998 season (DC United) when he posted a 19-5-0 regular-season record.
After Saturday's 3-2 victory over conference rival Los Angeles Galaxy at INVESCO Field, the Rapids improved their 2002 home record to 5-1, the best mark in MLS. In six games at INVESCO, Colorado has posted a home-game league high 14 goals while conceding only six (second best in MLS). Goalkeeper Scott Garlick leads the league in home GAA (Goals Against Average) at 1.00 per game.
Ten games into the 2002 MLS season, the Rapids stand just two points shy of the best start in franchise history - a 7-3-0 start in 1999. Currently at 6-3-1, Colorado possesses 19 points and the No. 2 position in both the Western Conference and overall standings, trailing San Jose (6-3-2) by just one point.
Injury Report: John Spencer - OUT - Left Knee Arthroscopy Training Schedule: Tuesday, June 4 - 10:00 a.m. at Westminster Training Facility Wednesday, June 5 - 10:00 a.m. at Westminster Training Facility (Followed by 1:00 p.m. Media Luncheon at Croc's (16th and Market) for U.S. vs. Portugal first round World Cup '02 play) Thursday, June 6 - 10:00 a.m. at Westminster Training Facility Friday, June 7 - 11:00 a.m. at Westminster Training Facility / 1:30 p.m. Depart for Dallas Saturday, June 8 - 6:00 p.m. Kickoff vs. Dallas at Cotton Bowl (Broadcast at 8 p.m. MT on Fox Sports Rocky Mountain) Western Conference TEAM GP W L T PTS GF GA STREAKS LAST 10 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- San Jose Earthquakes 11 6 3 2 20 15 11 Won 1 5-3-2 Colorado Rapids 10 6 3 1 19 17 12 Won 2 6-3-1 Los Angeles Galaxy 10 4 4 2 14 14 14 Lost 3 4-4-2 Dallas Burn 10 3 2 5 14 13 13 Tied 2 3-2-5 Kansas City Wizards 9 2 3 4 10 11 12 Tied 2 2-3-4 Overall Standings TEAM GP W L T PTS GF GA STREAKS LAST 10 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- San Jose Earthquakes 11 6 3 2 20 15 11 Won 1 5-3-2 Colorado Rapids 10 6 3 1 19 17 12 Won 2 6-3-1 Chicago Fire 10 5 3 2 17 19 13 Won 1 5-3-2 Los Angeles Galaxy 10 4 4 2 14 14 14 Lost 3 4-4-2 Dallas Burn 10 3 2 5 14 13 13 Tied 2 3-2-5 Columbus Crew 10 3 5 2 11 13 16 Lost 1 3-5-2 MetroStars 10 3 5 2 11 13 16 Tied 1 3-5-2 Kansas City Wizards 9 2 3 4 10 11 12 Tied 2 2-3-4 N.E. Revolution 9 3 5 1 10 14 19 Lost 1 3-5-1 D.C. United 9 3 5 1 10 11 14 Won 1 3-5-1
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