The 10-man Rapids ruined Chivas USA’s home unbeaten record in the dying moments of the game when Conor Casey ran on to a through ball and slotted a pass across the face of the goal for Omar Cummings to score his second career MLS goal with a simple tap-in.

Chivas USA now has just one win its last four games.

Veteran defender Orlando Perez had raised Chivas USA’s hopes of coming away with a point from their penultimate home game of the season when he scored the first goal of his career in Carson – and only his third MLS goal in seven seasons – on a 79th minute equalizer.

It was a lovely goal, with Sacha Kljesten intelligently chipping a static Colorado back line and Perez timing his run to perfection to score from inside the box.

Chivas USA scored what they thought was a winner in the 86th minute, but striker Laurent Merlin was clearly offside.

The counter-attacking Rapids team took the lead in the 64th minute after former Galaxy defender Ugo Ihemelu scored his first-ever MLS goal, slotting home a ball that was deflected from a Conor Casey shot.

Chivas USA has never come from behind to win an MLS game.

The Rapids played virtually the entire second half down a man, after defender Brandon Prideaux earned a straight red in the 46th minute for bringing down Maykel Galindo as the last man back.

Updated: After throwing away the chance to sew up the top spot in the Western Conference, it was an uncharacteristically quiet Chivas USA locker room after the game; even the usually voluble and quotable Jesse Marsch (who was unhappy about being subbed) wasn’t talking.

Preki tried to put the best face on it, saying he had a “funny feeling” coming into the game it wasn’t going to be his team’s day.

“We had an incredible amount of opportunities we couldn’t put in,” he said. “It was one of those days.”

As one of four original Chivas USA players from the first season still with the club, Orlando Perez, who was wearing a blue Smiths T-shirt in the locker room, (he didn’t know Morrissey was on the side lines in a Chivas USA shirt for the Galaxy game) got a kick (ahem) out of scoring his first goal for the club.

“It did feel pretty good,” he said. “I would much rather have had the victory.

“We’ve got to put this game behind us,” Perez added. “We should have taken care of business.”

Game story is here.

Chivas USA had eight shots to Colorado’s two during the opening 45 minutes, but failed to capitalize on several scoring opportunities.

A wide open Jonathan Bornstein should have done better when the ball fell to him in the box on the 25th minute mark, but his shot from 10 yards was blocked by a defender.

And Sacha Kljestan sent a shot whistling by the far post after nice approach work by Chivas USA about five minutes before half time.

Colorado’s best chance was halted in the 31st minute after Claudio Suarez brought down Kosuke Kimura just outside the box with a professional foul when the Rapids defender had burst through the back four courtesy of a fortunate deflection off a Chivas USA player. Suarez was booked, but the free kick came to nothing.

With Mexico playing Nigeria at noon on Telemundo, it looks like Chivas USA fans stayed home in even greater numbers than usual this morning. Lots of elbow room here at the HDC.

Captain Claudio Suarez returns to the center of the Chivas USA defense after being rested for Thursday’s scoreless draw against Dallas, so Jason Hernandez drops to the bench.

Orlando Perez also gets a run out in place of usual full back Jonathan Bornstein, moved into midfield in place of the benched Panchito Mendoza, who has a slight groin twinge, but is available.

With striker Ante Razov out injured, up front is top scorer Maykel Galindo and John Cunliffe, scorer of two goals in the Oct. 6 win over Real Salt Lake.

Mehdi Ballouchy and Pablo Mastroeni are both suspended, so ex-Galaxy defender Ugo Ihemelu moves into central defense and Facundo Erpen moves into midfield.

Signaling the urgency of the game for the Rapids, Terry Cooke is named as a forward, although he will likely play a withdrawn role.

The game is on Prime and Telefutura.

Chivas USA just circulated a press release in the press box saying that Razov is out six weeks with a sprained MCL in his left knee, the first serious knee injury for the veteran in his career.

Updated: Mendoza was a late scratch from the game completely due to a mild groin strain; Erasmo Solorzano takes his place on the bench.

It wasn’t particularly pretty, but the Galaxy undoubtedly care much less about the performance than they do the result.

Donovan had a chance to seal the win in stoppage time, when he was sent through one on one against Toronto goalkeeper Kenny Stamatopoulos. But the goalkeeper just turned the shot around the post with his foot.

It was the sort of game that was hard to watch – even Galaxy goalkeeper Joe Cannon turned his back when Donovan scored from the spot.

But the Galaxy have now won five straight for the first time in almost a decade – 1998 to be precise – and remain very much alive for the eighth and final playoff spot with two games left to play.

More after the press conference.

“Not the greatest of games,” said Coach Frank Yallop. “But we knew we needed three points and we got three points and that’s all that matters.”

Donovan agreed.

“This was the worst we’ve played in the last five games,” he said. “But we did the right things to win the game.”

There’s a little bit of vindication in this for Yallop.

“I told you all along I didn’t think this team was that bad,” he said. “A few had given up on us and me. … We haven’t played particularly well in this spell, but we’ve found a way to win. We’re believing in ourselves now.”

Chris Klein looked like he couldn’t believe that on a team with the likes of Landon Donovan and David Beckham, it was him taking home the MVP trophy.

“If we’d been out of this thing I’d probably have left it in my locker, but now we’re in this thing it means something,” he said.

Donovan won the LA Riot Squad’s Player of the Year trophy, by the way.

New York is up next on Thursday, but no-one is getting carried away.

“We still haven’t done anything,” said Pete Vagenas. “If the season were to end today it would be a devastating season.”

And, no, Yallop doesn’t know whether Beckham will play Thursday.

Galaxy beat writer Billy Witz has the game details and breaks down the playoff picture here.

Watch the highlights here.

Disaster for the Galaxy in the 68th minute, as Cobi Jones loses the ball, and Toronto FC midfielder Chris Pozniak sends a long ball up to Collin Samuel , who overpowers young Mike Randolph to equalize.

But the Galaxy pull ahead again 10 minutes later, when Chris Klein runs on to a searching Donovan through ball that splits the Toronto back line. Klein sends a pin point cross to wide open sub Edson Buddle who easily scores, less than one minute after entering the game.

It took precisely one minute for substitute Gavin Glinton to do what the Galaxy had failed to do in the previous 54 – break down the Toronto defense.

After coming on in the 53rd minute for midfielder Kyle Martino, a breaking Glinton latched on to a Donovan through ball and immediately drew a foul in the box – and a red card for Toronto defender Marco Reda, who was the last man back. Landon Donovan converted the subsequent spot kick with ease.

Nothing interesting happened; Toronto had one shot on goal, the Galaxy none.

I’m off to get a coffee.

See you at the end of the game.

Toronto Coach Mo Johnston makes three changes from the team that lost 1-0 Sunday to the Colorado Rapids.

With Maurice Edu on international duty and Todd Dunivant moved up to midfield, Marco Reda and 17-year-old Gabe Gala come in on defense.

Tyler Hemming makes his third MLS appearance in midfield, replacing Carl Robinson, who is playing for Wales this weekend.

Up front as usual are Jeff Cunningham and Collin Samuel.

The only change for the Galaxy is on defense where Mike Randolph replaces the injured Ty Harden.

Otherwise the Galaxy is unchanged from the team that is seeking a fifth straight win and making a late playoff charge.

Landon Donovan and Carlos Pavon are up front, while Abel Xavier is on the bench.

Chicago got a point today, which means a Galaxy loss would eliminate LA from the playoffs.

The game is on Fox Soccer Channel.

Updated: Before the game, the Galaxy handed out their awards for the season.

Landon Donovan, the Galaxy’s top scorer with 12 goals in all competitions, won the Golden Boot for the third consecutive year.

Chris Klein, who has played every minute of every MLS game since his June trade from Real Salt Lake, – and scored a couple of spectacular and crucial goals – was named MVP.

Rookie Ty Harden, the former University of Washington star, was Defender of the Year. He missed only four games all season on an ever-changing back four.