PASADENA, Calif. -- Carlos Ruiz scored his second goal of the game in the 75th minute as the Los Angeles Galaxy beat the Columbus Crew 2-1 on Saturday night.

Ruiz, a member of Guatemala's national team, has 16 goals to take the MLS lead from New England's Taylor Twellman.

"Out of all the forwards we faced, Ruiz and Twellman are the best,'' Crew coach Greg Andrulis said. "They play with just such passion and determination. They score great goals; they take half-chances and bury them.''

Alejandro Moreno set up the winning goal with a chip from the left wing. Ruiz volleyed Moreno's pass from the right side of the 6-yard goalkeeper's box inside the left post.

"You're not going to see many, many finishes like that,'' Galaxy coach Sigi Schmid said. "That's a big-time volley. That's the way you draw them.''

Ruiz gave Los Angeles (9-7-3) a 1-0 lead in the ninth minute. Cobi Jones' through ball freed Ruiz, who split defenders Mike Clark and Brian Dunseth and scored inside the left post from the edge of the 18-yard penalty area.

"Both goals were worth the price of admission all by themselves,'' Schmid said. "Ruiz did a great job finishing the first goal because he toe-poked it and hit it early on the goalkeeper as he was moving, which is good awareness.''

Clark tied it for the Crew (7-9-4) with a 9-yard shot in the 41st minute. Clark's goal was his first of the season and first since 1997.

Midfielder Fredy Garcia, Ruiz's teammate with Guatemala, made his MLS debut for Columbus when he entered the game in the 81st minute.

Columbus midfielder John Wilmar Perez, a member of Colombia's 1998 World Cup team, left the game in the eighth minute with a sprained left knee.