Thirteen hours of travel, late for warmups, on a single day of rest. It didn’t matter to Denis Bouanga. Like a superhero, he flew in at the last minute to save the day for LAFC. Having not even played 20 matches for the Black and Gold, it is no stretch to call the Frenchman a club legend as he added another chapter to his lore on Saturday night.
Match Summary
LAFC dominated the first 15 minutes of the match with a smothering high press that Dallas could not find a way through. “It was the plan” midfielder Timothy Tillman shared postgame, as he was able to capitalize with a goal only three minutes in. The similarities to his first LAFC goal were obvious, with both resulting from a perfect high press.
Edwin Cerillo’s goal for FC Dallas being overturned in the 17th minute shifted the momentum, along with a couple of tweaks from the away side. Shifting from their classic 4-3-3 to a 4-3-2-1 for this match meant Alan Velasco moved inside to the #10 role rather than in his customary left-wing position. For those first 15 minutes, he struggled to get into the game, but after, he began to drop deeper, picking up the ball, and helping FC Dallas progress through midfield.
As a result, the Texans were able to push their fullbacks further forward, something LAFC’s press was previously preventing. These two minor differences made a major impact with Dallas taking control, forcing the home side’s fullbacks into their own half.
Both teams were eager to push their fullbacks high in the match. Which team was succeeding in this regard at any moment was a clear indication of which was on the front foot. This situation drastically changed in the 35th minute when a coming together of opposing fullbacks Ema Twumasi and Sergi Palencia resulted in Dallas being reduced to 10 men. VAR was required to step in, changing the card from yellow to red after Twumasi’s unintentional, flailing elbow caught Palencia in the face.
Nico Estevez quickly replaced winger Jader Obrian with fullback Geovane, reverting to a 4-4-1 low-block. They parked the bus and it worked.
“I felt we were a bit sloppy with our passing and impatient. We couldn't find the right windows to break Dallas down more frequently than we did.” Steve Cherundolo explained postgame.
Perhaps, but the Black and Gold took 21 shots with a total of 2.2xG. Only 6 shots hit the target.
Nico Estevez’s low block worked all the way until the 73rd minute when Dallas was able to tie the game up with the help of a couple of former LAFC players. Dallas knew set-pieces are always the best equalizer for a team down a man, so they took advantage. Edwin Cerillo drew a foul just inside the LAFC half following some tricky individual work down the touchline.
If LAFC drew a similar foul, up a man, they would play a simple five-yard pass, keep possession, and begin their attack. Down a man? Dallas set up for a delivery into the box.
Former LAFC fullback Marco Farfan delivered a dangerous cross into the box, which became a scramble before former LAFC center-back Sebastien Ibeagha tapped it to teammate Nkosi Tafari, and into the back of the net. All of a sudden, the dominance didn’t matter. Game on.
Dallas reverted to their low block. LAFC went back on the attack, now with increased urgency. The tempo increased, the runs were quicker, and the passes sharper. Carlos Vela made a darting run across the box to pick up the ball but was brought down. VAR rewarded him with a penalty which he was unable to convert as he smacked it off the crossbar.
It just wouldn’t go in for the Black and Gold.
That is until Denis Bouanga picked up the ball on the left corner of the 18-yard box, as it came through from the opposite corner. Nearly touching the end line, he turned back on himself, firing towards the front post.
“It was a cross. I tried to cross hard to the first post.” Bouanga admitted. The intention is irrelevant. The ball nutmegged goalkeeper Maarten Paes, nestling into the back of the net for a 2-1 LAFC win. Less than four hours after landing at LAX, Denis Bouanga was on the pitch at BMO Stadium, scoring the winner for his club.
Is finishing an issue?
The question must be asked. The current narrative is that LAFC hasn’t missed striker Chicho Arango, who scored 35 goals in his 58 matches with the club. After the defending Champions started the season with 10 goals in the first 3 matches, that narrative is understandable. However, things haven’t been the same since, scoring only 3 goals in the next 3 matches.
More to the point, it’s not an issue of chance creation. The ball simply isn’t hitting the back of the net. In those last three matches, LAFC has taken 57 shots, putting 18 on target.
They are quality opportunities as well, creating 3.4 expected goals in the last two matches, only scoring twice. There are blatant misses in big moments from the beginning of the game, where Ryan Hollingshead inexplicably put his shot wide from point blank in the first minute against Dallas, to the end of the game, where Mahala Opoku failed to snatch a winner at the death in Seattle. Even Carlos Vela missed his potential game-winning penalty.
Fans shouldn’t be worried yet with Denis Bouanga scoring from impossible angles and Timothy Tillman showing a proficient shooting boot as well. However, every other attacker relying on those two to get them through isn’t a recipe for long-term success.
Denis Bouanga: The MVP Candidate
Make no mistake about it. This isn’t just a heart-warming story about a man’s desire to help his team despite international duty halfway across the world, major jet lag from thirteen hours of travel, and fatigue from playing a full match barely 48 hours prior. It’s a story about arguably the best player in the league doing all those things.
Five weeks into the season, there are three names leading the MVP race:
Goal contributions leader, Thiago Almada
Golden boot leader, Jordan Morris
Game-winner, Denis Bouanga
Thiago Almada is the best player in MLS and surely the favorite for MVP. However, it’s likely Atlanta United will be forced to sell him in the summer, in which case he can’t win MVP.
Jordan Morris is in the form of his life, scoring 7 goals in 5 matches to start the season, including 4 against Sporting Kansas City. It’s a sensational, record-breaking tear. Surely then, it’s unsustainable.
Denis Bouanga, on the other hand, will be scoring winners for LAFC all year. There are certainly moving pieces, but if I were a betting man, I’d be putting my money on Denis Bouanga for MVP right about now.
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