LAFC advanced to the semifinals of Leagues Cup for the first time in club history with a comprehensive 3-0 road win over the Seattle Sounders on Saturday evening at Lumen Field in Seattle. Ryan Hollingshead and Kei Kamara each scored first-half goals before Denis Bouanga added his 11th of the competition after the break to become the all-time leading scorer in Leagues Cup's two-year history.
LAFC will host the Colorado Rapids in the semifinals on Wednesday, Aug. 21, at BMO Stadium with the winner advancing to the Leagues Cup Final, which will be played on Sunday, Aug. 25.
Just as it had in knockout-round wins over Austin FC and San Jose, LAFC went in front inside the game’s opening 20 minutes. A Maxime Chanot long ball from inside his own half found Hollingshead sprinting in behind the Seattle defense down the left wing. Hollingshead settled the ball and placed a right-footed shot past Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei, giving LAFC a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute.
Kamara doubled that lead 11 minutes later, acrobatically volleying a poor clearance from the Sounders defense past Frei to make the score 2-0.
Less than 10 minutes into the second half, LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who registered his third shutout in four Leagues Cup appearances, claimed a through ball inside the Black & Gold penalty area and quickly punted the ball forward for Bouanga to start the counterattack. Bouanga collected the punt just beyond the center circle before outrunning two Seattle defenders and hammering a right-footed shot off the post and into the net to seal LAFC’s 3-0 victory.
NEWS & NOTES
- LAFC has reached the semifinals of Leagues Cup for the first time in club history.
- This is the second competition this year in which LAFC has reached the semifinals, having also reached the Semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup. LAFC will play that Open Cup Semifinal on Wednesday, Aug. 28, on the road against the Sounders.
- Under head coach Steve Cherundolo, LAFC has reached the semifinals of the Concacaf Champions League, Leagues Cup, and the U.S. Open Cup, while also representing the Western Conference in MLS Cup in 2022 and 2023.
- In three games against Seattle this season, LAFC is 3-0-0, having outscored the Sounders 8-1, including 6-0 in two games in Seattle.
- LAFC is now 21-5-6 in all competitions in 2024. The club is 14-5-5 in MLS play, 3-0-0 in the U.S. Open Cup and now 4-0-1 in Leagues Cup.
- LAFC is 6-1-1 all-time in Leagues Cup, outscoring its opponents 27-7.
- The club is 4-0-1 against MLS opponents in Leagues Cup compared to 2-1-0 against Liga MX foes.
- This was LAFC’s first-ever Leagues Cup game away from Southern California. The club has played six times in the competition at BMO Stadium and once at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
- Since suffering a 3-1 loss to San Jose on May 4, LAFC has compiled a 17-1-3 record in all competitions. In that time, LAFC is 7-0-1 away from home, conceding just four times in those eight games.
- Denis Bouanga scored LAFC’s third goal in the game. He now has 11 goals all-time in Leagues Cup, making him the all-time leading scorer in the competition, surpassing Lionel Messi’s 10. Bouanga also has six assists, giving him 17 goal contributions in eight Leagues Cup matches - also number one all time.
- Bouanga has scored or assisted on a goal in all eight Leagues Cup games that LAFC has played, all-time.
- Bouanga has scored or assisted on 17 of the 27 goals that LAFC has scored all-time in Leagues Cup.
- In 2024, Bouanga has 21 goals and 14 assists in all competitions for LAFC, giving him 35 goal involvements on the year. He has either scored or assisted on almost half of the 71 goals that LAFC has scored in all competitions in 2024.
- Bouanga has five goals in Leagues Cup this year, leaving him tied with Philadelphia’s Tai Baribo for the tournament lead.
- Hugo Lloris was credited with an assist on Bouanga’s goal. It was his second assist in the knockout rounds of this year's competition.
- Lloris is one of three LAFC players, and one of 26 players in Leagues Cup, with multiple assists in the competition.
- Ryan Hollingshead opened the scoring for LAFC in the 14th minute. It was his first goal in Leagues Cup 2024 and his second all-time in the competition, having scored LAFC’s first-ever Leagues Cup goal against Juarez in the 2023 Round of 32.
- Kei Kamara scored his second goal of the competition and sixth of the year. It was Kamara’s first-ever Leagues Cup goal in a game that he started.
- Hugo Lloris made one save to keep his third clean sheet in four Leagues Cup games.
- Lloris now has 12 saves and a 0.25 goals against average in the competition.
- In 29 appearances for LAFC in all competitions, Lloris has 12 clean sheets.
- Midfielder Lewis O’Brien came on in the 64th minute to make his LAFC debut.
