Bouanga scores twice, Son adds goal and two assists as LAFC beats Austin FC 3-1

LOS ANGELES — With the MLS Cup Playoffs approaching and home-field advantage still within reach, LAFC picked up a much-needed victory Wednesday night behind another impressive performance from its two biggest stars.

Denis Bouanga scored twice and added an assist, while Son Heung-Min contributed a goal and two assists as LAFC defeated Austin FC 3-1 in front of a capacity crowd at BMO Stadium, snapping a four-game winless streak and moving closer to the top four in the Western Conference standings.

The victory improved LAFC's record to 12-9-9 with 45 points, keeping the Black & Gold in sixth place but moving them within one point of fifth-place Houston and two points of fourth-place San Jose. The top four teams in each conference earn home-field advantage in the opening round of the MLS Cup Playoffs.

The win also marked the first victory for interim head coach Xavi Tamarit, who improved to 1-0-1 since taking over the club.

LAFC dominated much of the opening half, outshooting Austin 13-5 but failing to capitalize on several scoring opportunities. The home side continued to apply pressure after halftime, eventually breaking through in the 52nd minute when Bouanga scored his first goal of the evening.

Mark Delgado started the sequence with a pass behind the Austin defense to Son, who split two defenders near the six-yard box before finding Bouanga alone in front of the goal. Bouanga finished the opportunity to give LAFC a 1-0 lead.

Austin responded in the 66th minute when Brandon Vazquez finished a pass from Myrto Uzuni, beating LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris with a low shot to even the score at 1-1.

The equalizer lasted just one minute.

Austin goalkeeper Brad Stuver attempted to clear the ball from his penalty area, but his clearance struck Son and deflected directly to Bouanga. The LAFC forward took one touch before calmly rolling a right-footed shot past Stuver at the near post to restore the lead.

It was Bouanga's 17th goal of the season and his second of the night, continuing a remarkable stretch in which he has scored seven goals in his last eight games.

LAFC put the game away five minutes later when Son scored in the 72nd minute to extend the advantage to 3-1.

Bouanga won a header near midfield and flicked the ball toward Jacob Shaffelburg on the left wing. Shaffelburg delivered a curling cross between two Austin defenders, allowing Son to finish with a first-time shot into the net.

The goal capped another outstanding performance from the partnership between Bouanga and Son, which has become the driving force behind LAFC's attack.

Son's two assists gave him 15 on the season, moving him into the MLS lead and tying Carlos Vela's club record for assists in a single regular season. Vela recorded 15 assists during his historic 2019 campaign, when he also scored 34 goals and earned MLS MVP honors.

Son now has 22 assists across all competitions this season, including seven in the Concacaf Champions Cup. Wednesday marked the fourth time in his LAFC career that he has recorded at least three goal contributions in a regular-season game.

His chemistry with Bouanga has been particularly impressive. Son has assisted on 11 of Bouanga's 17 regular-season goals this season, while Bouanga has assisted on three of Son's goals.

Bouanga, meanwhile, continued adding to his place in LAFC history. His two goals gave him 125 across all competitions since joining the club and 82 in regular-season play, tying him for 25th on MLS's all-time scoring list.

Wednesday was his fourth multi-goal performance of the year across all competitions and his 17th in MLS regular-season play, the most in LAFC history and fourth most among active players in the league.

Bouanga has also been involved in nine of LAFC's 12 goals since the club returned from Leagues Cup in mid-August, either scoring or assisting on those goals.

The offensive explosion was particularly significant considering LAFC had been shut out in its previous three regular-season meetings with Austin dating back to the beginning of the 2025 season. Bouanga had also gone four consecutive regular-season meetings against Austin without scoring.

That changed Wednesday as LAFC overwhelmed the visitors with 28 shots, including 13 on target. Austin managed 13 shots, with four on target, while Stuver was forced to make 10 saves to prevent an even more lopsided result.

LAFC also hit the crossbar twice, once in each half, as the club consistently created scoring opportunities throughout the evening.

Leo Walta, making his first start for LAFC after arriving on loan from Swansea City on Aug. 31, was particularly active in the attack. He finished with five shots, including three on target and another that struck the crossbar.

Tamarit made four changes to the starting lineup that played to a 1-1 draw against Vancouver on Saturday, bringing captain Aaron Long, Delgado, Igor Jesus and Walta into the starting 11.

The changes helped LAFC establish control early, although the team needed a second-half surge to turn its statistical dominance into goals.

Shaffelburg also reached a personal milestone with his assist on Son's goal, giving him five assists this season and establishing a new regular-season career high. His previous best was four assists with Nashville SC in 2024.

Delgado, meanwhile, appeared in his 371st MLS regular-season game, moving into a tie for 20th place in league history. Since signing with LAFC before the 2025 season, he has appeared in 62 of the club's 64 regular-season matches.

The victory continued LAFC's strong form at BMO Stadium, where the club improved to 9-3-3 in league play this season and 13-3-6 across all competitions. LAFC is also unbeaten in 21 matches across all competitions when scoring first this year, posting an 17-0-4 record.

Perhaps most importantly, the result gave LAFC momentum at a critical point in the season after a four-game stretch without a victory threatened to leave the club outside the top four heading into the postseason.

With Bouanga and Son combining for all three goals and five of the team's six available goal contributions Wednesday, LAFC demonstrated how dangerous its attack can be when its two stars are operating at their best.

The Black & Gold will now look to build on that performance Saturday, Oct. 17, when they travel to face New York City FC at Citi Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. PT, with the game available on Apple TV.

With the Western Conference standings tightening and home-field advantage still within reach, LAFC's final stretch of the regular season will determine whether the club can carry Wednesday's performance into the postseason.