Bouanga HISTORY keeps Leagues Cup dream alive for LAFC

By Alex Calabrese

LAFC‘s Leagues Cup journey isn’t over quite yet.

Facing potential defeat at the hands of Querétaro on Wednesday night, Denis Bouanga came to the rescue in the second half with his record-setting 15th Leagues Cup goal, sending the match to a penalty shootout where the Black & Gold staved off elimination and gave themselves a chance of advancing with a 1-1 shootout win.

“We got the extra point, and now we have to wait tomorrow,” LAFC head coach Marc Dos Santos said postgame. “It’s not impossible. We did some of our part today. We finished the night in the top four. ”

The top four teams from each league table (MLS and LIGA MX) will advance to the Leagues Cup quarterfinals (August 25-27).

Stayin’ alive

After opening their Leagues Cup campaign with a shootout win over Chivas de Guadalajara and following it up with an impressive 1-0 win over Toluca, LAFC needed a strong result against Querétaro to have a chance of qualifying for the quarterfinals as they seek a return to the final that they reached in 2024.

In the first half, Dos Santos’ team fell behind to an early Alí Ávila goal, meaning they were staring straight at elimination come the final whistle.

But an hour into a game they mostly controlled, at least in terms of possession and chances, LAFC finally got their just reward. Bouanga arrived unmarked in the six-yard box to tap a Ryan Raposo cross into the empty net, giving his team a deserved equalizer.

“It’s so difficult to break, but [we] find the solution in the second half,” Bouanga told Apple TV postgame.

“We win on penalties. We don’t win during the game. It’s difficult for us, but let’s see what happens tomorrow for passing [through to the quarterfinals].

Bouanga’s record 15th Leagues Cup goal made the Gabon international the tournament’s all-time leading scorer, breaking a tie with Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi.

With Miami already eliminated and former LAFC Golden Boot winner Diego Rossi trailing six goals behind in third place with nine, that record seems secure for at least another season.

Time will tell

Though a regulation win would have been preferred and secured LAFC’s place in the quarterfinals, the extra point they earned with the shootout win could make all the difference.

All five penalty takers held firm from the spot, with Daniel Parra hitting the crossbar for Querétaro to give the home side a 5-3 edge.

“I love the winning mentality of our guys,” Dos Santos said. “I love how they’re calm. They knew how important it was to get the extra point. We cared about the extra point tonight because we knew the extra point would keep us alive.”

Now sitting on seven points, qualification will depend on how other MLS teams fare in Thursday’s matches. If either Austin FC or Chicago Fire FC lose in regulation, LAFC will advance.

“When I saw the guys coming in for the penalty shootout, my first reaction was concern because we were so disappointed of the 1-1 that I felt maybe our mindset is not good to win in penalties,” said Dos Santos.

“But everybody took their penalties really well, and then they missed one. So look, we’re alive tonight, and let’s see what’s going to happen tomorrow.”

WATCH: Thrilling PK shootout win keeps LAFC alive in Leagues Cup