Timing is everything.

Two hat tricks in two weeks by Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane respectively must have MLS rivals wondering whether the Galaxy’s knack of peaking at exactly the right time over the last two seasons could lead to a third successive MLS title.

The Galaxy threw off the unimaginative shackles of a sterile first half to come from behind in relentless fashion and run away with a 4-2 game with the type of attacking soccer remniscent of those halycon free-scoring days of 1997 and 1998, apt for the debut of the retro-style third strip Saturday in Carson.

Beat writer Phil Collin has the details, while reporter Aaron Falk with our sister paper The Salt Lake Tribune has the perspective of Western Conference leading Real Salt Lake.

The updated MLS standings.

Next for the Galaxy: against Costa Rican club Cartaginas Tuesday at StubHub Center in their CONCACAF Champions League opener. More on that in Tuesday’s column.