Not long ago, Galaxy’s 5-0 victory on Saturday opening the Major League Soccer playoffs probably would have been enough to win a home-and-home series.

In the current MLS landscape, this opening victory is just that: a win without a total lead for the Galaxy that will continue in Friday’s second meeting against the Colorado Rapids.

“I miss those days,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said. “Each of these games is one game at a time. There has never been a truer statement in the playoff scenario, this is not a knockout game.

“The first game you win is great, you put that under your belt, but it will be a completely new game, in a completely new environment and both teams will have looked back on this last game and said: ‘OK, what did we like, what did we not like, what do we expect and try to prepare our groups for what’s to come. they are coming back to this matter.

Each best-of-three-round match constitutes its own result. A Colorado victory (either in regulation or via penalty shootout) will force the series back to Dignity Health Sports Park for a winner-take-all third game on November 9.

The Galaxy had a near-perfect performance in the first game, allowing just one shot.

“You have to play every game as it comes and you have to play every game to solve the problems of the day and get the result at the end of the day,” Vanney said.

The Galaxy last visited Colorado on October 2 and left with a 3-1 victoryits first in Colorado since 2017.

“We have to expect a very different team when we go there (Friday),” Vanney said. “Obviously, not too long ago we were playing Colorado. We’re expecting a more aggressive, more physical team, a team that’s going to try to disrupt us a lot more, so you just have to prepare for that.

“Either they’re going to press and press really hard or they’re going to try to protect themselves a little bit and hurt us on the counter, but I suspect it will be the former and they’re going to come pretty hard and see if they can disrupt us and get something from the start and try to build momentum on this thing But we just have to be ready and solve the problems that are presented to us and try to create our opportunities on the other side.