LA Galaxy rout Colorado Rapids, Riqui Puig plays second half

LA Galaxy returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion on Saturday night, thrashing the Colorado Rapids 5-2 at Dignity Health Sports Park.

Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez and Dejan Joveljic each scored twice for the Galaxy, while Efrain Alvarez also got on the scoresheet. The Rapids pulled two goals back late on through Diego Rubio and Gyasi Zardes, but it was nothing more than a consolation.

The Galaxy took the lead in the 13th minute when Hernandez latched onto a pass from Alvarez and fired home. Joveljic doubled the lead just five minutes later, heading in a cross from Julian Araujo.

Alvarez made it 3-0 in the 25th minute with a fine individual goal, beating two defenders before slotting the ball past Rapids goalkeeper William Yarbrough.

Hernandez got his second in the 65th minute, tapping in a rebound after Yarbrough had saved an initial effort from Joveljic. Zardes pulled one back for the Rapids in the 75th minute, but Joveljic restored the Galaxy's four-goal lead just two minutes later.

Rubio scored a stunning consolation goal for the Rapids in the 89th minute, curling a free kick into the top corner. But it was too little, too late for the visitors, as the Galaxy cruised to victory.

The win was the Galaxy's first in three games and moved them up to ninth place in the Western Conference standings. The Rapids, meanwhile, remain bottom of the table with just one win from their first nine games.