The Los Angeles Football Club played to a 1-1 draw with Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium.
Denis Bouanga scored his MLS-best 10th goal of the season in the 13th minute to give LAFC a 1-0 lead before Johnny Russell equalized for the visitors seven minutes later. LAFC looked to have scored a late winner in the 87th minute, however Ryan Hollingshead’s goal was ruled out following video review because of an offside call in the buildup to the goal.
With the draw, LAFC is now 6-1-4 for 22 points on the season and in second place in the Western Conference. The club remains unbeaten at home in MLS play this season, going 4-0-1 at BMO Stadium for 13 points from a possible 15.
NEWS & NOTES
- With the draw, LAFC is now 6-1-4 on the season for 22 points. That leaves the club in second place in the Western Conference, one point behind Seattle, who have played two more games than LAFC.
- LAFC is now 4-0-1 at home this season in MLS play and 6-1-1 in all competitions.
- At BMO Stadium, LAFC has outscored opponents 13-4 in five regular season games and 20-6 in all competitions.
- The draw snapped LAFC’s streak of four straight wins to open the season at home as well as three straight wins against Sporting Kansas City, dating back to August 2021.
- Just over a third of the way through the 2023 regular season, LAFC is one of three clubs to be averaging two or more points per game, along with FC Cincinnati and the New England Revolution.
- This was LAFC’s first home game since a 4-0 win over Austin FC on April 8, a stretch of 39 days. In between those two games, LAFC played two home games in the Concacaf Champions League, winning each 3-0, while also going 2-1-1 on the road in MLS play, 0-0-1 in the Champions League and beating Monterey Bay in the U.S. Open Cup.
- Denis Bouanga scored his MLS-best 10th goal of the season in the first half.
- He is the fifth different player to score 10 or more goals in the regular season for LAFC joining Carlos Vela (three times), Diego Rossi (three times), Cristian Arango (twice) and Adama Diomande (once.)
- Bouanga now has 10 goals and two assists for 12 goal involvements in 11 MLS games this season to go along with six goals and four assists in the Champions League. He has factored in 22 of the 37 goals that LAFC have scored in all competitons.
- Mahala Opoku and Segi Palencia were each credited with assists on the goal. For Opoku, it was his first of the season while for Palencia, it was his second.
- Opoku now has at least one assist in each of his four seasons with LAFC.
- Palencia has an assist in each of LAFC’s last two home league games.
- Nathan Ordaz made his MLS debut in the second half, coming on for Denis Bouanga in the 77th minute.
- Tonight’s game was the first in a stretch of three games in seven days for LAFC, all of which are at home. The club hosts the San Jose Earthquakes in MLS play on Saturday night before hosting the LA Galaxy on Tuesday night in the U.S. Open Cup.
The Black & Gold are back in action in MLS play on Saturday, May 20 when they host the San Jose Earthquakes. That game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. and can be seen live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
