Simon Says It's Good Time to Score Goal

By GRAHAME L. JONES, TIMES STAFF WRITER DENVER --

Simon Elliott picked just the right time to score his first goal this season, and in doing so Saturday night he put the Galaxy in perfect position to win Major League Soccer's Western Division title.

The New Zealand midfielder's 20th-minute shot from long range swerved sharply from right to left and completely fooled Colorado Rapid goalkeeper Scott Garlick, who managed only to swat at it ineffectively as it flew by him and into the net.

It was the only goal Los Angeles would need as it won, 2-0, in front of 17,129 in the final professional sporting event to be played at Mile High Stadium in Denver. The Rapids' home finale will be played next door at Invesco Field, the city's new stadium. The victory, combined with the San Jose Earthquakes' 1-0 loss at Kansas City, moved the Galaxy two points ahead of San Jose in the West. Los Angeles can clinch the divisional title if it defeats the Earthquakes at the Rose Bowl on Wednesday night.

If the Earthquakes win or the game is tied, the title race will come down to the final regular-season game-between the same teams in San Jose on Sunday.

The Galaxy won Saturday without three starters: injured forwards Cobi Jones (hamstring) and Luis Hernandez (hip) and defender Ezra Hendrickson, who was held out by Coach Sigi Schmid to avoid seeing him get another yellow card that would have kept him out of Wednesday's key game.

Schmid could not protect all his players, however, and defender Danny Califf will miss the potentially decisive match after his foul on Marcelo Balboa six minutes after Elliott's goal earned him a yellow card from referee Erich Simmons.

Other than those two incidents, the game had little going for it. The Rapids (5-13-8) had been eliminated from playoff contention a week earlier when the Galaxy beat them, 3-2, in Pasadena.

They managed to make Los Angeles work for its victory, but the outcome was never in doubt, especially since Colorado was playing without its leading goal scorer, John Spencer, who is sidelined by a calf strain.

In injury time, the Galaxy (14-7-5) tried one last counterattack against a no-longer-so Rapid defense and Adam Frye crossed from the left for Peter Vagenas to side-foot the ball into the open net, with Garlick again out of position.