LAFC extended its home unbeaten streak to seven games to open the 2024 MLS season with a convincing 3-0 win over Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday night at BMO Stadium. Denis Bouanga tied a club record with three assists, setting up a pair of first-half goals for Cristian Olivera as well as a second-half strike by Mateusz Bogusz to lead LAFC to its fifth home win of the season.
The Black & Gold is now 5-4-3 (18 points), leaving the club tied with the Whitecaps and Colorado Rapids for fourth place in the Western Conference.
LAFC came out of the gates flying, peppering the Vancouver goal with nine shots, including five on target, inside the opening 20 minutes, with the last of those giving the home side a 1-0 lead in the 19th minute. Eduard Atuesta hit a long, diagonal pass to the left wing for Bouanga, who dribbled past a Vancouver defender before hitting a low cross through the goalmouth for Olivera to direct home for the early 1-0 lead.
Olivera, who scored twice in Wednesday’s win over Las Vegas in the U.S. Open Cup, got his second in the 36th minute, finishing a similar feed from Bouanga to give LAFC a 2-0 lead heading into the halftime break. Olivera has now scored five goals in the last three games in all competitions.
LAFC put the game out of reach with a third goal in the 57th minute when Omar Campos started a counterattack with a long ball down the left wing for Bouanga, who got past his defender before picking out Bogusz in the center of the six-yard box for his fourth goal of the season.
At the other end of the field, LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris made four saves to record his third clean sheet and his first since March 23.
LAFC has a short turnaorund to its next game, a mid-week clash with St. Louis CITY SC on Wednesday, May 15. Kickoff for that match is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. PT and fans can watch all the action on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. Radio coverage of the game will be available on the ESPN LA App, and KFWB 980 AM La Mera Mera (Español).
NEWS & NOTES
- LAFC is now 5W-0L-2D at home this season, collecting 17 of a possible 21 points at BMO Stadium.
- Since the start of 2023, LAFC is 5W-1L-1D against Vancouver in all competitions, and has knocked the Whitecaps out of the 2023 Concacaf Champions League and the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs.
- Denis Bouanga, in the 50th regular-season game of his LAFC career, tied a club record with three assists in the game. He joins Mark-Anthony Kaye and Diego Rossi as the only players to record three assists in a regular season match. Rossi accomplished the feat on March 10, 2018, while Kaye did it on April 21, 2019.
- Prior to tonight, Bouanga’s only other multi-assist game was on August 23, 2023, when he set up two goals in a 4-0 home win over Colorado.
- Forward Cristian Olivera now has six goals in 13 games in all competitions this year, including five goals in his last three games.
- Mateusz Bogusz now has four regular-season goals this year, tying him with Olivera and Timothy Tillman for second on the team. Bogusz's four goals exceed his regular-season total from last season (3).
- Omar Campos was credited with his second assist of the season on the third LAFC goal. It was his first assist since LAFC’s opening goal of the season against Seattle on February 24.
- Hugo Lloris made four saves for his third shutout of the season, and his first since March 23 when he helped LAFC beat Nashville 5-0.
