LAFC won its fourth straight league game and fifth in all competitions with a 2-1 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps at BC Place on Sunday night, keeping its hopes of a first-place finish in the Western Conference alive. Mateusz Bogusz scored in the game’s opening minute, while Ilie Sánchez scored the game-winning goal in second-half stoppage time to help the Black & Gold improve to 18W-8L-7D for 61 points on the season.
LAFC took the lead just 32 seconds into the game with Bogusz scoring the second-fastest goal in club history. David Martínez threaded a pass behind the Vancouver defense for Bogusz, who raced into the box on the left wing. He held off a defender before chipping the ball past Vancouver goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka with his left foot, making the score 1-0.
Vancouver equalized in the 63rd minute when a Sebastian Berhalter free kick deflected off the head of Sergi Palencia and into the net for an own goal, tying the score 1-1.
The game appeared to be headed toward a 1-1 finish before Ilie Sánchez stepped up to score the winner in the 93rd minute. Nathan Ordaz helped to create the goal, collecting a pass near midfield and racing down the left wing before appearing to be closed down by a pair of Vancouver defenders. However, Ordaz was able to squeeze between the defenders and get into the box before playing a short pass to Kei Kamara who picked out Sánchez at the top of the area. Sánchez took one touch before hitting a right-footed shot that went in off the post, giving LAFC a 2-1 lead.
Shortly after the Sánchez goal, the Whitecaps nearly equalized for a second time, only for Brian White’s header to hit the post before being cleared from danger, helping LAFC hold on for the full three points.
LAFC is now three behind the Galaxy in the Western Conference standings. Should the Galaxy lose on the road to Houston next weekend, LAFC could take over first place in the West by beating San Jose at home. The Black & Gold's final regular-season match, which will feature a pre-match ceremony during which LAFC raises a banner commemorating its 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Championship, is scheduled to kick off at 6 p.m. PT on Saturday, Oct. 19 at BMO Stadium and can be seen live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
NEWS & NOTES:
- With the win, LAFC is now 18-8-7 on the season for 61 points. This is the third time in LAFC history that the club has recorded 60 or more points.
- This was LAFC’s final regular-season road game of the year. LAFC finishes the season 8-6-3 on the road for 27 points. That is the second-best road record in club history, trailing only the 2019 Supporters’ Shield winners, who went 8-3-6 away from home.
- LAFC has now played 45 games in 2024, playing 33 MLS games, seven Leagues Cup games and five U.S. Open Cup games. LAFC is 28-9-8 in those 45 games, including 11-7-3 on the road.
- LAFC is now unbeaten in its last six games against Vancouver, going 4-0-2 in that time.
- Mateusz Bogusz scored the game’s opening goal just 32 seconds into the game. That was the second-fastest goal in club history. Cristian Arango has the fastest goal in LAFC history, tallying just 20 seconds into a game against Real Salt Lake on Sept. 12, 2021.
- This was the second time that Bogusz has scored in the opening minute of an MLS game, having also done so on June 21, 2023 against Seattle.
- Bogusz now has 15 regular-season goals on the year and 19 in all competitions, each of which are second on the team.
- Bogusz and Denis Bouanga each now have 15 or more goals on the season. They are one of four sets of teammates in MLS this season with 15 or more goals, joining Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez at Inter Miami, Portland’s Evander and Jonathan Rodriguez and the LA Galaxy’s Dejan Joveljic and Gabriel Pec.
- This is the first time that LAFC has had multiple players with 15 or more goals since 2019, when Carlos Vela had an MLS-record 34 goals and Diego Rossi had 16.
- David Martínez and Olivier Giroud were each credited with assists on the Bogusz goal. Giroud now has three assists in his last four games.
- For Martínez, it was his first assist in the league since the 5-0 win over Nashville on March 23, though he did have one against Vancouver in Leagues Cup on July 30.
- Ilie Sánchez has now scored one regular-season goal in each of his three seasons with LAFC. This was the LAFC captain’s first goal since tallying against the LA Galaxy on July 4, 2023.
- Two of Sánchez’s three goals for LAFC have been game-winners.
- Kei Kamara’s assist on the Sánchez goal was his fifth of the season. He now has five or more assists in seven of his 19 seasons in MLS. LAFC is the sixth different team that Kamara has tallied five or more assists with.
- Nathan Ordaz was credited with his third assist of the season on the game-winning goal, setting a new career high. He had three assists in his first two seasons combined.
- After making three league appearances as a substitute, while also coming off the bench late in the U.S. Open Cup Final against Sporting Kansas City, Marlon started his first game for LAFC, playing 78 minutes in central defense.
