Rapids Haven’t Shown Many Defects Lately

The last time they were heard from in Los Angeles, forwards Alberto Delgado and Rey Angel Martinez were defecting from the Cuban national soccer team during the 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

They both were expected back tonight, playing for the Colorado Rapids against the Galaxy in the first of two matches in five days involving the teams.

But Martinez recently broke a toe on his left foot and is sidelined. Delgado will be here, but fans at the Home Depot Center should be aware that No. 26 for the Rapids wears his mother’s maiden name on his jersey -- so look for Perez, not Delgado.

The gesture is in recognition of his mother, who still lives in Cuba.

If all that sounds confusing, what is clear is that the Rapids’ three-game winning streak and five-game unbeaten streak have moved them to within six points of the first-place Galaxy in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference.

A victory tonight and another on Wednesday in Denver could pull them into a tie with Los Angeles, but even Colorado Coach Tim Hankinson says that it will be an uphill battle.

“It reminds me of the Boston Marathon’s Heartbreak Hill,” Hankinson told the Denver Post.

“If you can pass your opponent going up the hill, it energizes your position. You know you can come from behind at a hard stretch and at the same time shake the confidence of the people you’re passing.”

The Galaxy’s confidence is unshaken at the moment. The team has finally won consecutive games, leads MLS in victories, points and goals and has the league’s leading scorer, Carlos Ruiz.

The Guatemalan striker will have his work cut out tonight. The Rapids have given up only 12 goals all season, scoring only 13 goals themselves in the process.

“We’ve played them twice this year and both games were 1-1,” Galaxy Coach Sigi Schmid said. “They’re a team that doesn’t give a lot up in the back. They will come forward, although they’ll do it with a little bit of caution.

“They just work very hard getting behind the ball once they lose it, and that’s allowed them to keep games tight.”

The Rapids’ defense is anchored by goalkeeper Joe Cannon, who leads the league with a 0.86 goals-against average.

“When he gets hot in a game he’s a pretty tough goalkeeper to beat,” Schmid said. “He just all of a sudden gets into a zone and that has kept them in games at times.”

Colorado’s 1-0 victory over the New England Revolution on Sunday was typical. Cannon shut out the Revolution with some first-class saves and Delgado, who played on the same Havana City team as Martinez when both lived in Cuba, scored on a late header.

After disappearing from their Burbank hotel during the Gold Cup two years ago, the pair made their way to Miami, where Martinez has relatives. This season, Martinez, 23, tried out for the Rapids when they were struggling and made his debut June 12, becoming the first Cuban player in MLS.

Delgado, 26, joined him two weeks ago and earned his first MLS point on June 30, assisting on Jordan Cila’s goal in a 3-2 victory over the New York/New Jersey MetroStars at Giants Stadium.