Los Angeles Football Club’s dynamic attackers Denis Bouanga and Son Heung-min are in fine form entering the final furlong of the MLS regular season.
The key question over eight remaining league games: Will their combined firepower translate to an uptick in goals and wins for LAFC?
Through four appearances since Son arrived at the start of August, he and Bouanga have four goal contributions (five if you count the penalty the South Korean star drew in his debut in Chicago, which Bouanga converted). There’s no question that the team’s scoring chances have increased as LAFC rises on the league’s xG chart, but their goal tallies have not matched what the data suggests.
LAFC scored six times and has gone 1-1-2 with Son and Bouanga on the field so far. Twice the team gave away leads, including in a crucial home loss to Western Conference leader San Diego in its last MLS match on Aug. 31.
Despite two or fewer goals in eight straight games, LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo said the group and his star forwards are performing to his liking, and “the mistake would be to stop working hard and to stop playing in that same way.”
The start of LAFC’s stretch run comes against a team battling for an MLS Cup playoff berth, two points above Houston for the final spot.
In 2025, under legendary American head coach Bruce Arena, the ninth-place San Jose Earthquakes (9-12-8, 35 points) rank near the top of MLS in goals scored and goals allowed.
“If we are silly and a little erratic with our attacks then we can be punished,” Cherundolo said. “This is what San Jose does to a lot of teams. They have an unorthodox formation when it comes to transition moments. They’re very central. Very good technically and combination play in always attacking the depth with one of those up top, so if you’re not careful, a transition for you turns into a transition against you.”
LAFC (11-7-8, 41 points) defeated Arena’s team, 2-1, in April at BMO Stadium.
For the third straight year, San Jose has moved this match from PayPal Park to the home of the San Francisco 49ers, where the Earthquakes are 4-0-2 all-time. With a boost from Son’s inclusion, Saturday should surpass the Earthquakes’ home attendance record of 50,850 (at Stanford Stadium, against the Galaxy in 2019), placing it among LAFC’s top five largest crowds.
“It is going to be an intense game,” LAFC midfielder Timothy Tillman said. “Both teams want to win it for sure. I think it’s going to be an entertaining one.”
If Bouanga and Son produce at Levi’s like they did individually for their national teams, undoubtedly it will entertain.
Son, the South Korean captain, connected on two terrific goals along with an assist to help his countrymen beat the U.S. and draw with Mexico in a pair of Stateside exhibition games.
Bouanga scored an opening half hat-trick and played 75 minutes against Seychelles in the first of two World Cup qualifiers in Africa. The 30-year-old French-born winger then went the full 90 in a scoreless draw with Ivory Coast.
Bouanga flew almost two full days round trip from L.A. to the west coast of Africa. From Gabon he traveled to the island of Mauritius, near the continent’s easternmost point, clocking in more than 23,000 miles before returning to the LAFC performance center on Thursday.
Forward Nathan Ordaz, who delivered an assist for El Salvador during the break, won’t be ready to compete alongside Son or Bouanga on Saturday.
After a hard knock against San Diego prevented David Martínez from fulfilling a national team call-up with Venezuela, the 19-year-old is available.
Mobile Irish midfielder Andy Moran could make his MLS debut.
LAFC AT SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
When: Saturday, 5:40 p.m.
Where: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara
TV/Radio: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV/710 AM, 980 AM, 1230 AM
Originally Published:
