The Colorado Rapids did well to make it to halftime down just one goal to the L.A. Galaxy in the first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs on Saturday night.

The first 10 minutes of the second half made it clear that this Rapids team, running out of gas and impactful players, has run into an MLS Cup contender in immaculate form. The result: a deflating 5-0 loss heading back home to Colorado for Game 2.

“The message (to the team) is clear: These games, they come. It’s a good team and we found out again: (Galaxy) is a good team,” Rapids coach Chris Armas said. “We knew we were up for it, but the message is clear that however many goals you lose by tonight, the next game is the important one right now.

“You’ve got to get home, 18,000 fans waiting for us on Friday night and we’re going to figure this out. I’m the type of coach and person who will look hard at it and find the solution to help us do that.”

The first half’s lone goal came on the Galaxy’s lone corner of the half. Galaxy forward Dejan Joveljic got his head on Riqui Puig’s high cross and beat Reggie Cannon vertically to get to it. The shot seemed straightforward but snuck past Zack Steffen’s diving hands to his left.

Then it got ugly. In the 52nd minute, Galaxy left back John Nelson received a pass from right back Miki Yamane in a dangerous position, which he took a touch and buried to the top right of the opposite corner past Steffen. Less than two minutes later, Joveljic returned Puig’s first-half favor with an assist to the Spanish midfielder to make it 3-0.

Joveljic secured his brace in the 75th minute and Puig earned one of his own with the finishing touches in the 87th minute.

Rapids defender and captain Keegan Rosenberry chalked the result up to his team running into a host of great players with strings being pulled by Puig, evidenced by his three goal contributions on the night.

He said the Galaxy didn’t necessarily do anything different from the first two matchups of the season — both losses in which the Rapids gave up three goals — but they just did more of it with the playoff intensity.

“Special players, good, talented guys. We didn’t do a good enough job of limiting them and especially Puig,” Rosenberry said. “Our task is to try to force him off the ball and not give him time on the ball. He’s a guy who goes and finds the ball, goes into different spots that are unorthodox and difficult to track.

“He’s a good player and they have a lot of those. We didn’t do a good enough job of that tonight and they punished us for it.”

The Rapids ruled star midfielder Djordje Mihailovic out with an ankle injury during the week leading up to the game, but were expecting star Homegrown Cole Bassett to make a return after a month-long quad injury. As of Friday, the club said Bassett was good to go, but he suffered a setback and was deemed not match-fit prior to the match Saturday.

Boy, did they miss both of them. Omir Fernández, slotted into Mihailovic’s position at the 10, did not have much of an impact, but there was not much going team-wide. As in the past few games, the Rapids found dangerous chances but did not threaten Galaxy keeper John McCarthy at all.

In total, the Rapids rattled off just one shot to Galaxy’s 19.

The Rapids still have a chance at the series with a home game next Friday at 7:30 p.m., then, if necessary, a game back at Dignity Health Sports Park on Saturday, Nov. 9.

Armas was not afraid to imply a third game would be needed, saying he’s “sure we’re going to win the game in Colorado,” and that he wants to be the team that finally breaks the Galaxy’s perfect streak in 2024 at DHSP (now 14-0-3 this year).