BY ADAM SERRANO

The Los Angeles Galaxy host the Colorado Rapids at the Home Depot Center in a match of vital importance for the Supporters Shield and the playoff race. 

With a win or a tie and Real Salt Lake loss, the Galaxy will clinch the Supporter's Shield for the first time since 2002, when they also won MLS Cup. The Galaxy are expected to welcome back defender Gregg Berhalter to the starting line up and will be eager to clinch the top record in MLS. The Rapids have clinched a playoff berth since 2006 with the Wizards loss to the Revolution.

I will be providing commentary throughout the match so please feel free to follow along here. As always, feel free to share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.  

Enjoy the action (Commentary is after the jump)

FINAL – That's all for me tonight. Colorado beats LA 3-1. This has been Adam Serrano, thank you for following along and check back to SBI for more coverage of tonight's game. 

Buenas Noches!

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FINAL – The Rapids thank a small number of Rapids fans who were in attendance as they walk off the field clinching the playoffs and preventing LA from earning the Shield. The Supporters Shield will come down to the Rapids match with Real Salt Lake for the Rocky Mountain Cup and LA's date with FC Dallas on Sunday. Should Colorado win, the Galaxy will clinch the Shield, but if they lose then LA would need full points against FC Dallas.

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FINAL – Matt Pickens was the Man of the Match with timely saves to keep LA down despite constant pressure. Omar Cummings picks up the second star after his a goal and assist performance. 

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FINAL – That's the final whistle. Rapids win 3-1 and prevent LA from wrapping up the Shield. LA loses for the first time when Edson Buddle scores and the first time all season when they have had a lead. Edson Buddle began the party, but it was Omar Cummings who finished it. The Jamaican was dangerous all night and caused all kinds of problems for the returning Gregg Berhalter.

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91st minute – Donovan gets another shot served up but fires it wide. Still no luck for LA.

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90th minute – LA has had all the pressure but Perkins is doing his best to keep them off the board. 4 minutes of stoppage

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89th Minute – OFFSIDES! Buddle nearly scores his 18th goal, but is a yard or so offside. That's two goals taken away from the forward today.

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88th Minute – SAVE!!! PICKENS OFF A LASER BY DONOVAN. Pickens has been on tonight and consistantly denied Donovan.

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87th Minute – The Rapids are going to sweep their trips to Carson after scoring a victory against Chivas in the opening night of the season. 

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86th Minute – Frankin scores a shot into the hands of Perkins. Just time to run out the clock.

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84th Minute – OVER THE BAR! Galaxy earn a corner but Lewis skies the shot into the 10th row. Poor shot. Too little for LA.

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83rd Minute – Rapids make a sub as Cummings will get his "curtain call". Kandji comes in for the Jamaican. 

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81st Minute – Cummings continues his fantastic play after nearly creating a shot on goal, but DeLaGarza uses his speed to clear the ball. Nice defending.

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80th Minute – No ideas from LA it seems. They've resorted to looping long balls to Buddle which is not the recipe for success. 

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78th Minute – Beckham with a dangerous free kick that goes JUST over the bar.

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76th Minute – Beckham earns a corner after an audacious shot. Stephens leaves the game for Magee.

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75th Minute – The Galaxy trying to make this a game, but Buddle's shot is easily saved by Perkins. 

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73rd Minute – 27,000 at the Home Depot Center tonight. A total sellout. They've witnessed the Omar Cummings show. The Galaxy make a sub as Berhatler comes off for Cazumba.

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71st Minute – San Jose falls to Houston 1-0. The playoff positing is getting pretty tough.

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68th Minute – Casey plays a beautiful ball to Cummings who drills it pass Ricketts. Good Night Los Angeles. This is the Omar Cummings show tonight.

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67th Minute – GOAL!!!!! OMAR CUMMINGS SILENCES THE HOME DEPOT CENTER!

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61st Minute – SAVE!!!!! Ricketts with a toe save off Smith. The Rapids then hit the post TWICE before it is cleared. WOW. The Galaxy defense has been nonexistent tonight. Colorado earns a corner, but it is cleared.

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58th Minute – BEAUTIFUL Cross leads to HORRIBLE shot as Lewis skies a shot into the 15th row.

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57th Minute – Donovan gets in the refs face after being brought down. No Call. Frustrating day for LA. 

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56th Minute – Smith nutmegs a Galaxy defender forces a BIG SAVE from Ricketts which leads to a Rapids corner which is cleared but a throw in is a result.

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53rd Minute – Stephens gets a ball from Buddle, but fires it JUST wide of Pickens net.

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52nd Minute – Rapids doing the little things to keep LA from creating any offense, but LA is dominating possession. If they resume their artful passing that they had in the first few minutes of the match, they can reopen the game.

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50th Minute – The corner is cleared but not before it appears that Berhalter brings down Casey in the box. No Call . 

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48th Minute – Rapids earn a corner after stripping Eddie Lewis of the ball. 

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47th Minute – With Eddie Lewis more of a pure winger. Expect LA to try to spread the Rapids out. Passin must be cleaner from LA to get back in the match. 

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46th Minute – No changes at the half. Rapids going to the right of your computer screen. 

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HALFTIME – Telling stats at the half? Colorado have one shot on goal to LA's 4. The Rapids also have 3 saves to LA's zero. 

If you're following along, let me hear from you and who you're supporting tonight. If you're a Rapids fan, is the champagne on ice?

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HALFTIME – The Rapids haven't had many chances this half, but they've finished when they had the chances, they've buried them. Los Angeles has never trailed this season after a lead and are 16-0-0 when they have a lead. Expect Bruce Arena to give it to the club as they look to come back. 

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45th Minute – OFF THE POST!!! Mullan hits the cross bar!!!! corner for Colorado.

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45th Minute – Three minutes of stoppage. 

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44th Minute – With Real Salt Lake's victory over LA, RSL is a point behind of LA. They're still in the Supporters Shield hunt. 

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41st Minute – Birchall goes down yet again. He's done. Eddie Lewis about to come on.

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39th Minute – No Dice. The ball falls to Juninho who fires it into the 10th row.

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38th Minute – LA earns another corner. 

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36th Minute – The Rapids are starting to bang around the Galaxy. Thompson has been incredibly physical with Beckham and now Casey picks up a yellow for bringing down Birchall. Chants of US reject come up from the LA fans. 

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31st Minute – GOAL!!! COLORADO RAPIDS! WOW!!! Cummings just BURNS Berhalter and DeLaGarza and crosses to Casey who fires it in.

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27th Minute – Own goal credited to Buddle. Chris Wondolowski and the San Jose Earthquakes are hoping that means that one is deducted from his account of 17 goals. Unfortunately for the Quakes and Wondo that is not the case. 

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26th Minute – Beckham fires another cross into Buddle who once again fires it over the net. Colorado's defense will need to put some more pressure on Edson, because one of those will go in.

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24th Minute – LA starting to press as they go down on two straight forays into the Rapids zone. Beckham is on the top of game and continuing to pressure Thompson. He'll earn a very dangerous free kick to the right of the box after Thompson brings him down.

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21st Minute – JUST OVER THE TOP! Galaxy earn a corner, but Buddle fires the cross from Beckham JUST over the net of Pickens. 

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19th Minute – Casey who is always dangerous goes up for the ball, but Franklin attempts to clear it. His clearance fails and Juninho taps it pass his own keeper. score is 1-1.

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19th Minute – RAPIDS GOAL!!! It looked like an own goal. We'll wait for confirmation. 

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17th Minute – The Rapids make the first foray into the Galaxy half and earn a corner. 

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13th Minute – Beckham feeds Donovan with a trade mark long pass. Donovan plays it off to Buddle who is saved by Pickens. Nice build up from LA. They're coming out firing tonight.

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11th Minute – Donovan feeds Birchall who streaks down the field and passes off to Buddle. The forward fires home his 17th goal of the season off a deflection from Drew Moor.  The Galaxy are 11-0-1 when Buddle scores as chants of MVP come up from the crowd.

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9th Minute – GOAL!! EDSON BUDDLE!!! 

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7th Minute – Mastroeni drops Beckham setting up a great free kick that Gonzalez skies out for a corner. Beckham to take it. 

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6th Minute – Let me hear from any Rapids fans following along tonight. Are you popping bottles at the first playoff berth since 2006. 

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3rd Minute – Edson Buddle already bringing some pressure to the Rapids, but was three yards off side when he beat Pickens. Positive start. 

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1st Minute – And. Here. We. Go. The Galaxy clinch the Supporter's Shield if they win tonight. A lot on the line. 

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PREGAME – Good crowd on hand for what is Gregg Berhalter's return to the starting line up.

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PREGAME – Here are the Line Ups:

COLORADO RAPIDS

————–Casey———–Cummings————-

Smith——-Larentowicz——Mastroeni—-Mullan

Moor———Thompson—–Wynne————–Kimura

———————Pickens—————————–

LOS ANGELES GALAXY

———Donovan—————Buddle————–

Stephens———-Beckham—————-Birchall

——————–Juninho—————————

DeLaGarza—–Berhalter—-Gonzalez—Franklin

———————-Ricketts———————–