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On Friday, September 14th, the Colorado Rapids will travel to the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, to take on the Los Angeles Galaxy. Kickoff is expected at 9:00 MST and the match will be broadcast on Altitude.
Colorado (9-17-2) will travel to Los Angeles with the mindset of keeping their slim playoff hopes alive. They are not out of the Western Conference playoff race and trail the final playoff spot by eight points. This past week, the Rapids sent Wells Thompson to the Chicago Fire as the midfielder was not pleased with a bit-part role with the club and pursued a move to secure more first-team opportunities.
Los Angeles (13-11-4) have underperformed this season by their own lofty standards, but still find themselves currently in fourth place in the Western Conference. They are six points ahead of Vancouver and are pushing to secure a place in the playoffs. The Galaxy have not played since a 2-0 win over Vancouver on September 1st, and will also look to potentially welcome back the services of Landon Donovan who has been injured. The United States international was forced to miss two recent crucial 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers against Jamaica.
With a win, the Rapids could find themselves within striking distance of a playoff spot, especially given the fact that Colorado plays LA Galaxy twice and Vancouver in the next three weeks. However, the Rapids have been woeful on the road in 2012. Colorado's defense will have a lot to handle with the likes of David Beckham, Robbie Keane, Juninho, and Landon Donovan, should the USA international return to action.