COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – It was a true homecoming for Todd Dunivant on Wednesday when the LA Galaxy defeated the Colorado Rapids 4-3 in dramatic fashion.
Finally recovered after an abdominal tear that has sidelined him since the third game of the season, Dunivant returned to the Galaxy starting XI for the first time since April 6. In attendance to see the 32-year-old defender’s first start in months were nearly 90 members of the Colorado native’s family who were in town holding a family reunion.
What they saw, however, was less than positive –at least to start— as LA sputtered out of the gate conceding three goals in the opening 30 minutes of play to fall behind 3-1 at the half. During that slow start, Dunivant lacked sharpness as he was frequently targeted down the flank by Colorado.
“We didn’t come out strong enough. Who knows what it was? They got behind us too many times and they jumped on us,” Dunivant told LA Galaxy Insider. “We had our chances too, but we just weren’t ready.”
In the second half, the Galaxy appeared revitalized after a rousing halftime speech by head coach Bruce Arena. It didn’t take long for LA to pull level as goals from Omar Gonzalez and Alan Gordon tied up the score after just 68 minutes. In the 80th, Landon Donovan scored to seal the victory for the visitors.
For Dunivant who was lifted in favor of A.J. DeLaGarza just two minutes prior to Donovan’s game-winner, the win may come to define the Galaxy’s season.
“Sometimes these types of wins are more important than complete game performances because you need to dig deep and see what we’re made of,” said Dunivant, who claimed to be feeling no ill effects from his abdominal injury after the game. “We had a gut check moment at half time where a lot of words were said, but we were obviously able to come back.
“Playing in Colorado is always a tall task, but it was great to be back on the field and getting a win was fantastic for this team.”
