Colorado Quiets Chivas, 2-1

As quickly as momentum seemed to be shifting toward Chivas USA late in the second half Saturday, it vanished in an instant.

Ten-man Colorado took advantage of a bad pass deep in Chivas’ end and substitute Jeff Cunningham scored a goal in the 78th minute to give the Rapids a hard-earned 2-1 Major League Soccer victory in front of an announced 15,348 at Invesco Field in Denver.

The matchup of the bottom two teams in the Western Conference was an entertaining one as Chivas had sought to build on its first victory from the previous weekend against Real Salt Lake.

When Colorado (2-4-1) lost defender Hunter Freeman to a red card in the 73rd minute, it left Chivas (1-5-1) in an ideal position to develop its winning streak.

But five minutes after the red card, Colorado’s Guy Melamed picked up a loose ball, passed quickly to forward Jean Phillippe Peguero, who one-timed a right-footed cross on the ground to an on-rushing Cunningham.

Cunningham, who had entered the game 17 minutes earlier, gathered himself and chipped a right-footed shot past goalkeeper Brad Guzan into the lower right corner for a 2-1 lead.

Chivas never threatened again.

In the 67th minute, Chivas defender Ryan Suarez made a run up the middle of the field, took a pass from Ramon Ramirez and fired a right-footed shot from just above the penalty-area circle for a brilliant goal that curled around diving Colorado goalkeeper Joe Cannon to tie the score at 1-1.

Colorado took a 1-0 lead in the first half when Chris Henderson converted a penalty kick in the 30th minute after a hand ball by Chivas defender Alfonso Loera.

In addition to the red card, Colorado was whistled for five yellow cards by referee Ricardo Valenzuela.

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Barrero reported from Los Angeles.