Great misfortune, a goal off the post and two very late goals ended the Colorado Rapids’ season on Friday evening.

Much has improved since the miserable 5-0 defeat in California six days earlier, and these 90 minutes were the best the Rapids have played in all four games against the LA Galaxy this season.

But the beleaguered Rapids team – even with Djordje Mihailovic back after an ankle injury – ultimately failed to score a late equalizer and lost 4-1 in the MLS Cup playoffs at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park thanks to two injury-time goals from Riqui Puig.

LA took an early lead with one of the craziest moments of bad luck you can see on a football field. Rapids keeper Zack Steffen had an easy play on the left side of the 18-yard penalty area, about six yards from the sideline, with a narrow Gabriel Pec to worry about. He beamed the ball to a leaping Pec, who ricocheted at an unlikely angle to open the scoring in the eighth minute.

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Silence from all 16,010 Rapids fans present. Temporary dejection for all 11 Rapids players on the field. But they didn’t stay in that mood.

As they did seven minutes before the goal, Colorado applied pressure and was the stronger team.

Against bad teams, the Rapids have been great in losses this season, leading the league with 19 points from losing positions. Against good teams, one of Colorado’s most glaring weaknesses was having to chase the game. In the 19th minute they found their goal.