Soccer
In front of a packed house at Levi’s Stadium, LAFC’s superstars wasted no time giving the fans what they wanted to see.
Just a minute into the game, Son Heung-Min finished a lovely team move to go up 1-0 in Saturday’s rivalry clash with the San Jose Earthquakes. By the 12th minute, Denis Bouanga had added two more.
Led by Bouanga’s eventual hat trick, LAFC went on to secure a 4-2 victory to keep pace in the battle for the Western Conference’s top four spots.
“I was very pleased with the performance tonight,” manager Steve Cherundolo said after the game. “We were very effective with our chances and could have had one or two more.”
Son steps up
The stars were the headliners as LAFC picked up a crucial three points ahead of the stretch run.
Son, in his fifth appearance after signing for an MLS-record transfer fee this summer, picked up where he left off during the international break with South Korea, where he totaled 2g/1a across two friendlies against the USMNT and Mexico.
“Sonny is very consistent, whether he plays for his national team or for us,” Cherundolo said. “And that makes it very easy for his teammates to put him in positions to score. He’s a sprinter, he doesn’t do anything at a slow pace. It is fast, it is clean, it is firm, and it is always, always dangerous.”
Club legend status
Bouanga, for his part, has proven a dominant running mate for Son in LA. His hat trick against the Quakes gave him 93 goals in his LAFC career and 13 multi-goal games, both of which are tied for the most in club history with Carlos Vela.
With 18 goals on the year, he’s now two away from becoming the first MLS player to score 20 goals in three straight seasons.
He produced this performance just four days after starting two World Cup qualifying fixtures for Gabon, scoring a hat trick in the first match against Seychelles.
“His dedication, his ability, and his mentality to come in and want to play and score and do what he can for his team is awesome,” Cherundolo said.
All three of his goals came from counter-attacks and timely runs in behind, evidence of the burgeoning chemistry between Bouanga and Son.
“[Son] and Denis, when they have fresh legs, they are very dangerous,” he said. “They combine well, they play in behind … we hope we can keep putting them in positions to score.”
Chasing homefield
The win corrects LAFC’s 2-1 loss to SoCal rival San Diego FC before the international break. The Black & Gold now trail Seattle Sounders FC by one point, with a game in hand, for the fourth spot in the West, which secures homefield advantage in the postseason.
LAFC have a packed schedule down the stretch as they position themselves for the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs. They have seven matches left over the next month, starting with two in a row against Real Salt Lake.
“We’re fighting to be the best in the standings by the end of the year and get a nice spot in the playoffs,” midfielder Mathieu Choinière said. “Getting that win on the road, it’s big for our confidence to keep moving forward.”
They will no doubt be looking to Son and Bouanga to keep up the heroics down the stretch.
“We all share this in the locker room — we are building the momentum for the playoffs,” Choinière said.
Read MoreLeigha Michaud