COMMERCE CITY— Tim Howard made two saves in the penalty shootout and the Colorado Rapids beat the Los Angeles Galaxy 3-1 on penalties Sunday to advance to the Western Conference championship.
Colorado won the regulation game 1-0, tying the two-game, total-goals series 1-1 and forcing the tiebreaker. Los Angeles won 1-0 at home last Sunday.
Colorado reached its first conference finals since winning the MLS Cup in 2010. The Rapids will play Nov. 20 in the first game of a two-leg series.
Shkelzen Gashi scored in the 36th minute. He took a pass just past the center circle, took a touch and smashed a shot off the left post and in.
In the shootout, Steven Gerrard put Los Angeles in front, but the Galaxy missed their next three attempts. Dos Santos sent it over the crossbar, Howard denied Ashley Cole after a slow approach and Howard sealed it by diving to his right to block Jeff Larentowicz’s roller.
Kevin Doyle, Sebastien Le Toux and Marco Pappa converted PKs for Colorado.
