Denis Bouanga has been one of many standout gamers of the 2025 MLS season, main Los Angeles FC via an ideal marketing campaign. With a brace within the playoff sport in opposition to Austin FC, the Gabonese striker joined an unique group in league historical past, one which even Lionel Messi hasn’t reached but.
LAFC visited Q2 Stadium seeking to ebook their spot within the subsequent spherical of the playoffs after a 2-1 win within the first leg. After Son Heung-min opened the scoring within the twenty first minute, Bouanga struck twice, first within the twenty fifth after which within the forty fourth minutes, to seal a dominant efficiency and to increase his legacy within the MLS.
With the brace in opposition to Austin FC, Denis Bouanga grew to become simply the ninth participant in MLS historical past to attain not less than 10 targets within the MLS Cup Playoffs. Much more impressively, he’s the one lively participant on that checklist — a outstanding feat contemplating the extent of expertise presently within the league.
The checklist of MLS legends who’ve scored not less than 10 playoff targets reads as follows:
- Landon Donovan: 25 targets
- Carlos Ruiz: 16 targets
- Roy Lassiter: 13 targets
- Jaime Moreno: 12 targets
- Ante Razov: 11 targets
- Brian McBride: 10 targets
- Preki: 10 targets
- Taylor Twellman: 10 targets
Denis Bouanga #99 of Los Angeles FC celebrates after scoring in opposition to Austin FC.
The 2025 season has been one other unimaginable 12 months for Bouanga. The striker not solely surpassed Carlos Vela as LAFC’s all-time prime scorer but in addition grew to become the primary participant within the franchise historical past to achieve 100 targets, now sitting at 101 in 151 appearances. With 32 targets in 45 matches throughout all competitions this 12 months, and LAFC awaiting both Vancouver Whitecaps or FC Dallas within the subsequent spherical, Bouanga might show pivotal within the workforce’s push for one more MLS Cup title.
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Bouanga joined MLS from French aspect Saint-Étienne in August 2022 and has featured in each postseason since (2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025) showing in 14 video games to achieve the 10-goal milestone. Against this, Lionel Messi has had much less time and fewer playoff alternatives since arriving within the league, leaving him effectively behind Bouanga and the elite MLS group.
Messi joined Inter Miami in 2023 however missed that season’s playoffs, along with his first look coming in 2024. In that postseason, he performed three video games in opposition to Atlanta United and scored simply as soon as, in Sport 3, because the Herons have been eradicated within the opening spherical.
Within the 2025 playoffs, Messi has been key within the sequence in opposition to Nashville, scoring twice in Sport 1 (a 3-1 win) and netting once more within the 2-1 loss that adopted. With 4 targets in 5 playoff video games to this point, the Argentine stays in need of the MLS elite checklist however may have the possibility so as to add to his tally subsequent Saturday in Sport 3, and probably past, if the Herons advance.
