Bouanga's hat trick puts LAFC in playoffs
LOS ANGELES » The Los Angeles Football Club slammed the door on its second-longest scoring drought in six years and secured a fifth MLS playoff berth in that span, thrashing Minnesota United FC, 5-1, in the home regular-season finale at BMO Stadium.
Forward Denis Bouanga's first-half hat trick moved the
THE SCORE
LAFC 5, MINNESOTA UNITED 1
Up next: LAFC at Austin FC, Saturday, 5:30p.m., Apple TV+
Frenchman into the Major League Soccer Golden Boot lead with 17 goals, one better than FC Cincinnati midfielder Luciano Acosta with two games left before the MLS Cup playoffs.
As he has throughout his first full season with LAFC, Bouanga referenced the importance of his team scoring first in pre-match comments.
Steve Cherundolo's group had won once in the previous 12 times they conceded the opening goal against 10 defeats.
However, Minnesota (9-1211, 38 points), struggling below the playoff line, put the defending MLS champions in a hole four minutes in on a counterattack on a header by Hassani Dotson.
Scoreless in four consecutive matches coming into Wednesday, Bouanga quickly found the answer to LAFC's deficit and 372-minute funk — its longest dry spell this year clocked 408 minutes. He picked up the ball in the box in the sixth minute, thanks to assists by Mateusz Bogusz and Carlos Vela, beating goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair with his left foot.
Bouanga had not scored since collecting a brace against the Galaxy in midSeptember, his only goals over an eight-game stretch.
A half-hour later, Bouanga added a dramatic second finish for the lead. Taking a hard fall in front of the Minnesota bench, Bouanga limped while rubbing his left hip as he slowly moved behind the play.
By the time the powerful attacker reached the box, defender Diego Palacios put his left foot on a perfect cross near the endline that hung in the air just right for Bouanga to hammer a left-footed volley.
A minute into stoppage time before the break, Bouanga deftly controlled the ball in the box off a corner kick, tapped it to his right and smashed a tight-angled shot between St. Clair and the near post.