Result: Colorado Rapids 1 Galaxy 3

To say this game came alive in the second half would be an understatement.

The Galaxy scored more goals against Colorado in 25 minutes than they have in two years, starting with the first from Alan Gordon just 26 seconds after the restart.

Edson Buddle made it 2-0 in the 63rd minute after scoring from what looked to be an offside position from 18 yards after Cobi Jones had sent a penetrating pass through the Rapids back line.

Kyle Martino scored the third with 20 minutes to go, beating former Galaxy defender Ugo Ihemelu to the ball with a far post header from six yards.

Mehdi Ballouchy got a consolation goal for the Rapids in the 89th minute with a 17-yard blast after Cannon had punched the ball away.

The Galaxy's record goes to 4-11-5 with their first win in more than two months. They now have 17 points and are just one point away from hauling themselves off the MLS basement, but are 12 points behind the Fire, which sits in the eighth and final playoff spot.

The victory did not come without cost though. Both Galaxy goalscorers departed early, Gordon with a left foot injury, the same one he had surgery on earlier in the year, while Buddle injured his left hamstring.

Coundoul also came out just before the hour mark wih an abdominal strain, which gave former Fire goalkeeper Zach Thornton his Rapids debut.

At least the Galaxy locker room should be happier.

Updated:

It was.

"I haven't smiled too many times in this room," said Yallop. "We're over the days, for the time being, of missing a ton of chances that come back to haunt us."

That was Colorado's lot this evening.

Still, neither Yallop nor his players are thinking of anything more than the next game.

"You can't look long-term right now," Yallop said. "We've got to beat Chivas (USA) on Thursday. I'm looking forward to that game now and I wasn't looking forward to it if we'd lost."

Pete Vagenas had the most brutally honest assessment of the performance.

"To be honest I think we played pretty poorly," he said. "It was our worst performance in the last three weeks and we won."

Still, the Galaxy were without seven players through injury or suspension and haven't fielded the same line-up in consecutive games since the first two of the season.

Cannon for one appreciated the break he got by sitting out the last game.

"This is the best I've felt in a while," he said. "We did benefit from a week of rest."

Game report here.

Fans who want more Galaxy soccer can see the reserves play their Rapids counterparts on University Field #1 at 10 a.m. Sunday. The Galaxy reserves, by the way, are 2-3-1 on the season, 10 points behind the first place Rapids. It's free to watch.