CIENFUEGOS LEADS LOS ANGELES TO 4-0 ROSE BOWL ROMP OVER RAPIDS

Galaxy Gain Upper Hand as Playoff Race Tightens in Western Conference

PASADENA, CA (Saturday, August 17, 2002)- Los Angeles midfielder Mauricio Cienfuegos notched two goals and an assist, and U.S. World Cup star Cobi Jones contributed three assists on Saturday night as the Galaxy easily handled the Colorado Rapids, 4-0, at the Rose Bowl.

The Rapids survived a scare in 12th minute after referee Jair Maruffo whistled Wes Hart for a foul on Tyrone Marshall in the penalty area, but Colorado goalkeeper David Kramer made a fantastic save on the awarded penalty kick, diving to his left to stop Cienfuegos' attempt.

The penalty kick save would ultimately prove to be the lone highlight on the night for the Rapids (10-10-3, 33 points), who were held without a shot on goal and fell behind the Galaxy in the race for playoff positioning, dropping into fourth place in the Western Conference.

The Galaxy got the game's opening goal in the 20th minute when Alexi Lalas got on to the end of a Cobi Jones corner kick. Jones sent an out-swinging ball to the top of the penalty area, where Lalas made contact and sent a looping header to the near post. The ball eluded Chris Henderson and rattled off the post, bouncing off Kramer and into the goal.

Colorado was forced to bypass the midfield for much of the game, playing long balls forward to evade the tenacious work of the Galaxy midfield. Los Angeles paid close attention to midfielder Carlos Valderrama in the first thirty minutes, limiting his ability to orchestrate the attack.

The frustrating first half for the Rapids ended with the Galaxy holding an advantage on the scoreboard, leading 1-0, and a significant lead in offensive chances created. In the half, Los Angeles posted a 5-1 lead in shots, putting all five on goal compared to none by the Rapids.

Los Angeles added to its lead, making the score 2-0 in the 59th minute thanks to Cienfuegos' first goal of the season. Brian Mullen made the goal possible with a strong run down the right flank and a perfectly placed cross to center of the six-yard box, where Cienfuegos connected with a diving header that gave Kramer no chance.

The Rapids created a rare scoring chance in the 69th minute when Mark Chung and Valderrama combined on a quick one-two passing sequence. Chung stormed on goal, splitting the defenders at the top of the penalty area, but his low shot flashed just wide of the left post.

The Galaxy put the game out of reach in the 82nd minute with a goal from Sasha Victorine. Cienfuegos began the play with a crisp pass along the touchline to Jones, who raced past Pablo Mastroeni into the offensive zone and sent a low centering pass for Sasha Victorine to tap home.

Los Angeles put a cap on the night in the 87th minute when Cienfuegos scored his second goal of the night after Mullen did well to control a ball as he fell in the penalty area before making a pass.

The Rapids will return to INVESCO Field at Mile High for their next game, on Saturday, August 24 against defending MLS champion San Jose. Kickoff for the match, which will be seen live by a national television audience on ESPN2, kicks off at 2:00 p.m. MT. The first 6,500 fans aged 16 and under will receive a free Rapids lunchbox, and Nina Storey will perform a free post-game concert.

Linescore:
	1	2	F
Rapids	0	0	0
Galaxy	1	3	4

Scoring Summary:
Team	Time	Player (#)	Assists
Los Angeles	20	Alexi Lalas (3)	Cobi Jones
Los Angeles	59	Mauricio Cienfuegos (1)	Brian Mullen, Ezra
Hendrickson
Los Angeles	82	Sasha Victorine (2)	Cobi Jones, Mauricio
Cienfuegos
Los Angeles	87	Mauricio Cienfuegos (2)	Brian Mullen, Cobi Jones

								
Lineups:
COLORADO RAPIDS--David Kramer, Rick Titus, Robin Fraser (Jeff Stewart 83),
Steven Herdsman, Wes Hart, Zach Kingsley, Pablo Mastroeni (Kyle Beckerman
83), Mark Chung, Carlos Valderrama, Chris Henderson (Raul Palacios 66),
Chris Carrieri
TOTAL SHOTS: 3 (Chung 2); SHOTS ON GOAL: 0; FOULS: 11 (Hart 3); OFFSIDE: 2;
CORNER KICKS: 4; SAVES: Kramer 4; CAUTIONS: Hart 12; EJECTIONS: none;
POSSESSION PERCENTAGE: 48%

LOS ANGELES GALAXY--Matt Reis, Danny Califf, Alexi Lalas, Tyrone Marshall,
Ezra Hendrickson, Simon Elliott, Mauricio Cienfuegos, Peter Vagenas, Sasha
Victorine, Cobi Jones (Alex Bengard 87), Alejandro Moreno (Gavin Glinton 46,
Brian Mullan 54)
TOTAL SHOTS: 11 (Cienfuegos 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 8 (Cienfuegos 4); FOULS: 13
(Moreno 3, Lalas 3); OFFSIDE: 1; CORNER KICKS: 6; SAVES: ; CAUTIONS:
Marshall 47+, Jones 61; EJECTIONS: none; POSSESSION PERCENTAGE: 52%

Referee: Jair Marrufo; Assistant Referees: Misail Tsapos, Fabio Tovar
Attendance: 12,068; Weather: Warm, 69 & Hazy, Fair

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