CARSON, Calif. – The LA Galaxy will face the Colorado Rapids in the postseason for the first time since the 2005 season when they kick off their Western Conference Semifinal series on Sunday.
Los Angeles will host the West’s No. 2 seed on Sunday at StubHub Center before the two squads travel to Colorado for the decisive second leg on Nov. 6. The two teams have four times in the MLS Cup Playoffs, with the Galaxy taking each series and outscoring the Rapids by an impressive 14 to one margin.
Ahead of Sunday’s contest, we take a look at the Galaxy’s postseason history against the Rapids:
1999 WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINAL: Galaxy advance 2-0 in best of three series
The Los Angeles Galaxy easily pushed the Colorado Rapids aside when the two teams met in the 1999 Western Conference Semifinal.
Ezra Hendrickson opened the scoring in the first leg before Gregg Vanney and Cobi Jones added goals in the second half to give the Galaxy the first leg. The Galaxy completed the job in the second match in Denver with Danny Pena and Joey Franchino finding the back of the net to send the Galaxy through to the Conference Finals.
After knocking off the Rapids, the Galaxy defeated the Dallas Burn in the Western Conference final before falling 2-0 to D.C. United in MLS Cup 1999.
2002 WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL: Galaxy advance 5-0 on aggregate
There’s no doubt that 2002 Los Angeles Galaxy squad was a team of destiny and they completed their march through the Western Conference with a 5-0 humbling of the Colorado Rapids.
The Galaxy got off to a fast start in the first leg at the Rose Bowl with Danny Califf and Carlos Ruiz scoring in the opening 30 minutes. Los Angeles kept up the scoring in the second half with Ezra Hendrickson and Ruiz finding the back of the net to give the Galaxy a four-goal aggregate lead after one leg.
In the return leg in Denver, the Galaxy put the series away as Carlos Ruiz scored in the 64th minute as Los Angeles cruised to the 2002 MLS Cup Final where they’d go on to win their first league title.
2004 WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINAL: Galaxy advance 2-1 on aggregate
The Colorado Rapids took an early lead over the LA Galaxy in the first leg of their Western Conference Semifinal, but it wasn’t enough to stop Sigi Schmid’s Galaxy squad.
Jean Philippe Peguero gave the Colorado Rapids a 1-0 victory in the first leg in Denver, only for Los Angeles to come roaring back at StubHub Center. Carlos Ruiz pulled the series level at one goal apiece with his 30-minute strike before Tyrone Marshall gave Los Angeles a lead that they did not relinquish in the third minute of first-half stoppage time.
Thanks to their win over the Rapids, Los Angeles advanced to the Western Conference Final, where they were defeated by the Kansas City Wizards.
2005 WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL: Galaxy defeat Colorado 2-0
The LA Galaxy clinched their berth in the 2005 MLS Cup Final with a 2-0 victory over the Colorado Rapids on a chilly night at Invesco Field.
Landon Donovan was the star against the Rapids with a brace to put Los Angeles through to championship game. Donovan opened the scoring in the 26th minute with a smart finish off a cross from Cobi Jones. As the Rapids pushed for an equalizer, Donovan put the match out of reach with an 88th minute when he dribbled past three defenders for the insurance goal.
The Galaxy went on to win their second MLS Cup in dramatic fashion with Pando Ramirez scoring an extra time goal to put Los Angeles past the New England Revolution.
