COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — The Galaxy are still searching for momentum, but there was none to be found on a rainy night in the Rocky Mountains.

Djordje Mihailovic and Calvin Harris scored four minutes apart in the first half and the Colorado Rapids handed the Galaxy their MLS-worst eighth shutout loss of the season, 2-0, on Wednesday night in a game that was delayed for two hours due to weather.

Colorado (7-8-4, 25 points) snapped a three-game losing streak and and scored multiple goals for the first time in its past 10 games, while the Galaxy (1-13-5, eight points) lost to the Rapids for the first time since May 6, 2023.

“For too much of the game, especially in the first half, we were operating at 60 or 70 percent of the intensity level that was needed,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said. “Felt like we got off to a decent start, the ball was moving quickly, but then when they started to up their pressure … I felt like our movement was a little too slow. Everything, our reactions in transition, then we were a step, two behind. We weren’t getting close enough to people on the defensive side. We were losing second balls, first balls, everything in the first half.

“We get ourselves down two goals and this is a tough place to fight your way back, especially coming off one game in four weeks and a two-hour delay. This is a hard places to go chasing the game. … We have to show up and push through whatever the conditions are, whatever the situation is. If we’re not moving at the right speeds and the right intensity, it’s going to be an uphill battle.”

The reigning MLS champs saw their defensive woes continue. They have collapsed under the weight of key injuries and a reworked roster to allow an MLS-high 41 goals this season. Their point total and minus-23 goal differential also are the league’s worst, and they have allowed multiple goals in six of their past eight games, including a seven-goal bombardment by the New York Red Bulls in a May 10 shutout loss.

Vanney maintains that intensity, or a lack thereof, is part of the team’s offensive struggles.

“The offense is dependent on high-intensity actions and movements, sprinting off the ball, building speed into your actions,” Vanney said. “At times when we were able to break through the lines, the running at the higher position would stop and then we would play to people’s feet. We weren’t playing into the space and we weren’t running through the lines and playing and building speed into the final action.

“Every time we get into a final action we’re either taking a shot from distance or we are hitting across into a lot of numbers, because it’s taken us a lot of time to build the attack and get into those types of positions. Again, I feel like when you play at a lower intensity level, then it’s going to be harder to create chances.”

Mihailovic opened the scoring in the 24th minute when he delivered his team-best eighth goal of the season. Sam Vines sent a left-footed cross into the penalty area, and Mihailovic headed home the goal between two Galaxy defenders to end a 261-minute goal drought for Colorado.

Harris, in his first start of the season, made it 2-0 in the 28th minute when he collected the ball on the right side of the penalty area and fired a right-footed shot just inside the left post. It was his second of the season.

Harris nearly had another goal in the 55th minute, but his left-footed shot, after slicing through the penalty area, bounced off the left post.

Rapids goalkeeper Nico Hansen made five saves for a third shutout in his sixth consecutive start in place of Zack Steffen (knee).

Novak Micovic, who has replaced John McCarthy in goal, made two saves for the Galaxy.

The Galaxy, who finally ended their season-opening 16-game winless streak with a 2-0 victory over Real Salt Lake on May 31, came into the match on a two-game points streak after a 3-3 tie at St. Louis City on June 14.

But that tie was fraught with disappointment after the Galaxy took a 3-2 lead in the 87th minute on the second goal of the game from Gabriel Pec, then missed out on the full three points when St. Louis City scored in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time.

The Galaxy next play at in-state rival San Jose on Saturday at 7:30 p.m., but it’s becoming a question of whether they can salvage their season.

“We’re at a club that it’s always going to push to be at the top,” midfielder Edwin Cerrillo said. “We’re in a situation right now where we’re chasing from the bottom, but never hopeless. We have players that can make a difference and we just haven’t clicked in the times and crucial moments in the game [when] we need to. … As each game goes by, each point is more and more crucial and we know that. We just need to step up.”

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