LAFC get the best of San Jose Earthquakes

LAFC’s best certainly showed out on Saturday night.

Son Heung-Min started things off by electrifying the majority of the 50,978 fans that had filled up Levi’s Stadium for this latest round of the interstate rivalry with the San Jose Earthquakes. Denis Bouanga then finished the night for LAFC, as he recorded the hat trick, and LAFC got themselves back into the thick of the MLS Playoff race with a 4-2 win over the Quakes.

The win keeps alive the chances of home field advantage in the first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs. LAFC (12-7-8, 44 points) are one point back of the Seattle Sounders for fourth place in the Western Conference and seven points back of the Vancouver Whitecaps for third place. It is even possible for LAFC to catch Minnesota United and San Diego FC for a top two spot, as LAFC has three more matches in hand, having played just 27 matches while Minnesota and San Diego have already reached 30 matches.

It took LAFC just 52 seconds to get on the board. Marky Delgado played Artem Smolyakov into the penalty area, Smolyakov’s run drew out keeper Daniel, and Smolyakov played a short cross into the six-yard box and Son slotted the open-net shot into the back net to send the South Korean fans into a frenzy and also open the scoring for LAFC.

Then it became the Denis Bouanga show. Bouanga got his first goal in the match in the ninth minute, as he stole a ball from Daniel Munie, then dribbled past the halfway line and all the way into the penalty area, and while he had Son on his right, Bouanga chose to take the shot himself, and it turned out to be the right decision, as he shot a rare right-footed shot off Daniel and into the back net to double the LAFC advantage. Three minutes later, Bouanga made it a brace, as Sergi Palencia chipped a ball over the San Jose defense, Bouanga timed his run well enough to keep himself onside, thus freeing him up for a run from the right side, Bouanga dribbled into the penalty area and chipped a ball off his right foot over Daniel into the back net and just like that, LAFC was up 3-0.

San Jose however wanted to show it would not be mere foils for its star-studded rivals, especially in its showcase game at the 68,000 seat Levi’s Stadium. The Quakes finally got on the board in the 18th minute, as Cristian Arango won a ball, flicked a ball over an LAFC defender to get himself free for a run into the penalty area, and though Arango lost the ball, Preston Judd came in and buried a one-timer for an 18th minute goal. LAFC’s defense however was able to keep the Quakes quite throughout the match, then in the 87th minute, Bouanga got his hat trick. Nkosi Tafari sent a long ball forward, Palencia chased down the ball, beat Jamar Ricketts to the ball, dribbled into the penalty area, which drew out Daniel, and Palencia placed a ball for Bouanga to slot into the empty net to seal the three points for LAFC. Not even an own goal by Palencia in the 90th minute could spoil the party for LAFC.

LAFC next starts a home-and-home series with Real Salt Lake, with the first leg being held at America First Park in Utah on Wednesday night.