LAFC extends road unbeaten streak to 9 with win over Earthquakes

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Twelve minutes into Saturday’s match against the San Jose Earthquakes, the Los Angeles Football Club accomplished something they had not done since mid-July.

Making the most of their first three shots at Levi’s Stadium from star forwards Son Hueng-min and Denis Bouanga, LAFC scored more times than any of their previous eight matchups.

A stunning 3-0 lead held up for a 4-2 victory, extending LAFC’s road unbeaten streak to nine games.

“It’s what we wanted,” Bouanga said. “We had one week off, and we had to hit hard when we came back in this big stadium. We did it. It’s wonderful.”

LAFC remained fifth in the west, one point behind Seattle for a coveted top-four playoff spot.

Son ensured LAFC (12-7-8, 44 points) got off to a quick start in the important Major League Soccer Western Conference showdown, contributing the third-fastest goal in LAFC history.

Collecting a simple cross from fullback Artem Smoliakov, who was played into the box by Mark Delgado for his team-leading eighth assist, Son’s first goal in the run of play for LAFC, a tap-in, came 53 seconds after the opening whistle and preceded Bouanga’s pair between the 9th and 12th minute.

“It’s too easy on the pitch to play with Sonny,” Bouanga said. “You can see he’s an amazing player and off the field he’s a good, good person.”

Though it was a home match for the Earthquakes – they defeated LAFC the previous two years at Levi’s Stadium and were 4-0-2 at the home of the San Francisco 49ers – Son was clearly the center of attention.

For the second consecutive MLS contest, Son’s participation correlated with an attendance record.

On Aug. 31, a record crowd watched the South Korean’s home debut at BMO Stadium.

Following a two-week international break, Son’s appearance in San Jose helped deliver the largest standalone crowd for an Earthquakes match with an announced attendance of 50,978.

Glad to spoil the occasion, Bouanga’s initial score came unassisted following a run from midfield. As Son pulled defenders with him to the middle, the French forward dribbled into the box and fired his shot past Brazilian goalkeeper Daniel. The second came off a perfectly timed run that kept Bouanga onside to receive a pass from Sergi Palencia before chipping Daniel.

San Jose (9-13-8, 35 points) got on the board six minutes later with a Preston Judd finish inside the box from an assist by former LAFC striker Cristian Arango (who remains the fastest goal scorer in Black & Gold history with a 20-second goal against Real Salt Lake in 2021).

San Jose added a late score on an own-goal off Palencia in the 90th minute.

The game settled down after Judd’s goal, and LAFC wouldn’t take another shot on target until Bouanga managed to do so shortly before Son’s night ended in the 80th minute when he was replaced by David Martínez.

In hot pursuit of what would be an MLS record third consecutive 20-goal season, Bouanga added his 18th of the year – vaulting him into third place in the Golden Boot race, three behind Nashville forward Sam Surridge and one back of Miami’s Lionel Messi – in the 87th minute thanks to Palencia’s second assist of the day.

Bouanga’s hat-trick also gave the 30-year-old Frenchman 93 goals in all competitions since joining LAFC in 2022, tying him for the club record with Carlos Vela in 43 fewer appearances.

“I’m very happy to tie Carlos,” Bouang said. “Carlos is a legend in LAFC. For me, it’s very appreciated to tie Carlos.”

During the recent international break, Bouanga flew almost two full days round-trip from L.A. to Africa. Bouanga clocked in more than 23,000 miles and scored a hat-trick for Gabon before returning to the States on Thursday.

“His dedication and his ability and his mentality to come in to want to play and score and do what he can for this team is awesome. It’s great,” Cherundolo said. “That’s how we got to know him and those are obviously our expectations when he does go away. He seems to enjoy traveling and playing for his country. They are very close to qualifying for the World Cup and we hope they do. That would be amazing for him and Gabon.”