Son Heung-Min and Denis Bouanga put on another strong performance to take Los Angeles FC into the Western Conference semifinals with a 4-1 victory at Austin FC on Sunday evening.
Lionel Messi recorded a hat trick and added an assist and Baltasar Rodriguez scored the tiebreaking goal as visiting Inter Miami used a second-half assault to defeat Nashville SC 5-2 in a Decision Day matchup on Saturday night.
Los Angeles FC has clinched homefield advantage for the first round and can still finish with the top seed in the West playoff table. But to stay home throughout the conference's postseason, they will need to win some crucial matches without key players.
Denis Bouanga scored the game's only goal in the 86th minute on Sunday night to propel Los Angeles FC to a 1-0 victory over visiting Atlanta United. Bouanga's 24th goal of the season tied Miami's Lionel Messi for the league lead, as Los Angeles (16-7-8, 56 points) won its fifth straight game.
Los Angeles FC enter Saturday's playoff tune-up at St. Louis City in high gear after winning three MLS matches in a span of eight days behind the brilliant work of Son Heung-Min and Denis Bouanga.
Son and Bouanga have become one of the league’s deadliest duos thanks to their ability to push their egos to the side and share the glory. LAFC has been right in the middle of the playoff race this season, despite a slow start and a question about the dedication of one of the designated players.
Pairing Son Heung-min with Denis Bouanga has given LAFC one of the most fearsome attacks in the league, but were they able to break into the top five of ESPN's MLS Power Rankings?
Denis Bouanga scored his second hat trick in three games to make some unique MLS history and lift LAFC to a 4-1 victory over visiting Real Salt Lake on Sunday evening.
Los Angeles FC scored three goals in the opening 12 minutes, including two of three in the match from Denis Bouanga, and rolled to a 4-2 victory over the host San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday at Santa Clara, Calif.
Heung-min Son has left Tottenham in the summer transfer window and is set to join LAFC for the remainder of the season — initially. With Olivier Giroud departing the club, Son is expected to become a key figure in the final third alongside Denis Bouanga, who didn’t hold back when asked about the former Spurs star’s arrival.
The game’s takeaways will impact the season’s second half as FC Cincinnati’s Brazilian star Evander dominated the Skills Challenge, and LAFC’s Denis Bouanga, Columbus Crew attacker Diego Rossi and Vancouver Whitecaps netminder Yohei Takaoka all made solid contributions.
The MLS has a collection of star players who have a knack for finding the back of the net. LAFC has one of, if not the best, at achieving this in the league, as one man has carried this team in the scoring department since his arrival.
Denis Bouanga scored on a first-half penalty kick and Los Angeles FC held on for a 1-0 victory over Minnesota United on Wednesday night in Saint Paul, Minn.
Denis Bouanga earned a penalty, scored from the spot and assisted on a goal, all in a dominant first half, and Los Angeles FC earned a 2-0 victory over visiting FC Dallas on Saturday night.
Denis Bouanga scored on a penalty kick late in the first half and host Los Angeles FC dominated the short-handed Colorado Rapids 3-0 on Wednesday night.
Wallace Yan scored in the 86th minute to delight most of the 32,933 on hand and help Flamengo salvage a 1-1 draw against LAFC in both teams' Group D finale on Tuesday night in Orlando, Fla.
LAFC was eliminated from the FIFA Club World Cup after Denis Bouanga had a penalty saved deep into stoppage time of a 1-0 loss to Esperance Sportive de Tunis in Nashville on Friday.
Youcef Belaïli scored in the 70th minute, goalkeeper Ben Said saved a penalty deep in second-half stoppage time and ES Tunis defeated Los Angeles FC 1-0 to keep their FIFA Club World Cup hopes alive in a dramatic contest Friday in Nashville, Tenn.
Denis Bouanga had a goal with two assists and Los Angeles FC earned a 3-1 victory over visiting Sporting Kansas City on Sunday in their last game before departing for the FIFA Club World Cup.
Denis Bouanga scored on a blast in the 115th minute and host Los Angeles FC rallied for a 2-1 extra-time victory over Mexico's Club America on Saturday to earn a spot in the 32-team Club World Cup while landing a nearly $10-million guaranteed payday.
LAFC is one of the most consistent and competent franchises in MLS. It made it all the way to the MLS Cup Final in 2022 and 2023, taking home the trophy on its first attempt and just missing out to the Columbus Crew on its second.
Saturday marks the 18th incarnation of Major League Soccer's El Trafico, the hotly contested Los Angeles derby. Two very different Los Angeles franchises will play against each other in 2023 — one at the top of the standings (LAFC) and another (Galaxy) languishing, hopelessly, at the bottom.