LAFC routs Sounders to keep pace in the Western Conference race

Entering Saturday night’s match against the Seattle Sounders at Lumen field, you would understand if LAFC was feeling a little salty.

After 13 games of collecting points and soaring to the top of the Western Conference, LAFC had a dose of reality given to them, first a 5-1 loss to the defending champion Columbus Crew, then a 1-1 draw against Real Salt Lake was enough to knock LAFC out of first place. LAFC however ended the week with a bang, as a brace from Denis Bouanga and a spectacular strike from Mateusz Bogusz snapped LAFC out of its mini-funk, as they left Seattle with a convincing 3-0 win.

The result enables LAFC (14-5-5, 47 points) to keep pace in the race for first in the conference, as they remain two points back of rival LA Galaxy. The win was much needed, as LAFC now turns its attention to Leagues Cup play with a home match against Tijuana FC on Friday.

LAFC was gifted an opportunity in the 12th minute. It started when Eduard Atuesta played a ball to Omar Campos, when then touched into the penalty area, Campos kept the ball, then played a ball that deflected off Joao Paulo, but found the feet of Mateusz Bogusz, who took the shot, but was blocked by Sounders defender Nohou. The ball then went off a slew of players inside the six-yard box, but the one touch that referee Allen Chapman along with VAR found to be egregious was Nohou making contact with the ball with his left arm, and with Nohou clearly trying to prevent a goal scoring opportunity, Chapman awarded LAFC the penalty, which Bouanga converted in the 16th minute.

LAFC struck again in 10 minutes later in world class fashion. Eduard Atuesta sent a long free kick into the penalty area, Seattle’s Jackson Ragen headed it back out, the ball fell to Bogusz, and he didn’t even allow the ball to hit the ground when he launched a right-footed volley from about 25 yards out that got past a crowd of players to the far post and past Cristan Roldan’s last-minute challenge at the goal line and into the back net for a goal that will warrant consideration for goal of the year, but most important, it gave LAFC a two-goal lead.

LAFC wore down the Sounders throughout the rest of the first half and a good chunk of the second half, then applied the fatal blow in the 74th minute. Kei Kamara sprung Bouanga with a through ball down the right side, Bouanga dribbled into the penalty area, then slotted a rare right-footed shot past Frei into the back net to triple the LAFC advantage, thus basically ending the night.