It was a night to forget right from the start for the beleagured Colorado Rapids.
Featuring a backline missing first-choice center backs Drew Moor and Shane O'Neill through injury in their visit to the LA Galaxy, the Rapids were further handicapped less than a minute in when goalkeeper Joe Nasco was shown a red card for a professional foul on Alan Gordon in the penalty area, leaving the Rapids to play virtually the entire game with 10 men against one of the hottest teams in the league.
"There was a decision made early that definitely flipped [the game] on its head," Rapids head coach Pablo Mastroeni told reporters after the game. "I think it changed the whole landscape; the whole week, everything of the planning goes down the tubes and it’s about survival at that point. You’re down a goal; you’re down a man 30 seconds into a game and now you’re just trying to stay in it, stay organized. "
Landon Donovan converted the subsequent penalty kick, it was almost all Galaxy from there, with the home side piling on the goals to the tune of a 6-0 rout of the Rapids.
Mastroeni took a diplomatic approach when questioned about the pivotal call, saying, "I’ve seen replays, but I’m not qualified to make referee decisions. I’d be interested to see exactly what was called, why it was called. I think that’s obviously a turning point in the game. It’s a pivotal moment in the game, but that’s life."
The six-goal margin of defeat was the largest in Colorado club history, tied for the second-highest in MLS history and the worst loss suffered by any MLS team in five years. The loss also extended the Rapids' losing streak to seven games, a stretch in which they have conceded 22 goals.
After the game, Colorado Rapids forward Edson Buddle, himself a former Galaxy player, sought to put the game in perspective for some of his shell-shocked younger teammates.
"It’s a learning experience. It’s one game at the end of the day; it’s not the end of the world," Buddle told reporters. "First year players, second year players are a little bit harder on themselves right now, but I’m here to let them know that it’s not the end of the road, it’s only one game. We have tomorrow and next week to get better."
For now, the Rapids remain just four points out of a playoff place with seven games to play, though that could well change by the end of the weekend depending on the results of the two teams above them, the Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps.
But after such a crushing loss, where to even start drawing hope for a playoff push?
"For a really young group there are a lot of guys that are seeking answers," Mastroeni said. "The secret about life is that the answer comes from within; there is no guru that will give you the answer. There is a lot of reflection, self-analyzing and then someone in that group stepping up and putting the team on their back. That’s the only way you ever come to terms with situations like this."
