3 things we learned from LA Galaxy beating Colorado Rapids, 1-0, in the MLS playoffs

The LA Galaxy weren’t at their best on Sunday, but did what they needed to do in the first leg of their playoff series with the Colorado Rapids. Giovani dos Santos found the winner for the home side, firing the Galaxy to a 1-0 victory that puts them in a good position for the second leg in Colorado.

From the start, Colorado looked like they were prioritizing shape and possession over everything else, while LA were more intent on making sure they won the home leg. Despite some dangerous looking moments, they failed to force Tim Howard into any difficult saves during the first 45 minutes.

Colorado brought on Jermaine Jones at halftime, hoping he’d make the difference for them going forward, but the Galaxy took the lead just 10 minutes after the break. Following a set piece, Jelle van Damme made a very un-defender-like move, nutmegging the man in front of him before finding the head of dos Santos.

Despite conceding, Colorado didn’t abandon their strategy, and looked more concerned with making sure they didn’t concede again. The Galaxy were also more worried about not giving up an away goal than they were about adding a second, contributing to a pedestrian pace in the final 30 minutes of the match.

Goals: dos Santos (55’)

Goals: None.

Some old DPs rode the bench -- Jones, Robbie Keane and Steven Gerrard have all dealt with injury problems this season, and none started in this game. Jones looked a tad off the pace when he came in, while Keane also struggled to make an impact and Gerrard didn’t play at all. Expect Jones to start in the second leg next week, but it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see Keane and Gerrard remain on the bench unless LA is in a desperation situation and in need of a late goal.

Sebastian Lletget is a star -- A big part of the reason LA isn’t rushing Gerrard back into the action is that Lletget is a better player based on their needs right now. While Gerrard has a better range of passing than Lletget, he’s not nearly as balanced of a player. In midfield, Lletget gives the Galaxy a bit of everything -- he’s creative, can carry the ball forward, can switch the point of attack, is solid positionally and works hard to help win the ball back. He’s working on getting a USMNT camp invite in January.

The Rapids are fine with this result -- Between Jones’ lack of fitness, the altitude in Colorado and the Rapids’ home record this season, Pablo Mastroeni’s side isn’t too concerned about their result in this game. They would have liked to sneak an away goal, but they really just wanted to avoid getting blown out. They’ll like their chances to win outright while keeping a clean sheet at home.