Denis Bouanga and Son Heung-min are quickly becoming one of the most dangerous attacking duos in Major League Soccer.
Taking on the San Jose Earthquakes in front of over 50,000 fans at Levi’s Stadium on Saturday night, both showed no fatigue from representing Gabon and South Korea during the international break, leading the way in a 4–2 win.
Son opened the scoring in the second minute, the third-fastest goal in LAFC history, before Bouanga scored a hat-trick to seal the win, bringing LAFC to two wins in their last five matches since Son debuted.
Bouanga Brace 🤝
— LAFC (@LAFC) September 14, 2025
All it took was 12 minutes for Denis to get his brace. pic.twitter.com/UKvDp5gYiX
Despite many fans packing the Earthquakes’ home match to catch a glimpse of Son, it was Bouanga’s brilliance that made history, tying LAFC and Mexico legend Carlos Vela as the club’s all-time leading goalscorer with 93 goals.
“I am very happy to tie Carlos for LAFC,” Bouanga told reporters following the victory. “I don’t have the words to describe this feeling. I am very happy.”
The performance came after intense travel for Bouanga, who had travelled thousands of miles to play two World Cup qualifying fixtures for Gabon, highlighted by a hat-trick against Seychelles which brought his nation closer to 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification.
A historic hat trick 🎩🪄
— LAFC (@LAFC) September 14, 2025
Denis Bouanga ties Carlos Vela as the club’s all time leading goal scorer. pic.twitter.com/NvfPxdZfFP
With those goals, he took the lead in African World Cup qualifying, with one goal more than Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, and he brought that form back to LAFC to tie Vela’s scoring mark.
“His dedication, his ability, and his mentality to come in and want to play and score and do what he can for his team is awesome,” head coach Steve Cherundolo said. “[Son] and Denis, when they have fresh legs, they are very dangerous... we hope we can keep putting them in positions to score.”
More history could be on the horizon for Bouanga as well, as he sits on 18 goals with seven matches remaining, and could become the first player in the league’s 30-year history to have three consecutive 20-goal seasons.
Son Raises LAFC, Bouanga
As history looms for the Gabon international, hope remains in the big picture for the Black and Gold, with dreams of Son and Bouanga leading them to a second MLS Cup title and first since Gareth Bale led the way in 2022.
At the same time, Son’s presence has elevated not only Bouanga and others on the pitch, but the entire club around the world, something few other American soccer teams have ever achieved outside of the old NASL New York Cosmos and Lionel Messi-era Inter Miami.
It only took 53 Seconds ⏱️
— LAFC (@LAFC) September 14, 2025
Sonny scores the 3rd fastest goal in LAFC history.
Thrill of the Match | @Yaamava pic.twitter.com/A2nwo5jVjI
“I love the energy around our games, seeing the American community come out to support Son but also LAFC, and I have stories of people also in Korea, where they’re seeing LAFC jerseys in the stores and in the windows, which is amazing for the MLS, but first and foremost for LAFC,” Cherundolo said.
“What I’m most impressed with is also how Sonny treats people and his fans and his teammates. He’s an incredible human being, and it cannot be easy to be recognized everywhere you go, but he's very gracious, he's patient, and he's just a fine human being we're happy to have on our team.”
With the victory lifting them to fifth in the Western Conference, LAFC crept closer to clinching an MLS Cup Playoff spot, a journey they continue on Wednesday against Real Salt Lake, as they look for a top-four seed and home advantage in the first round best-of-three series.
READ THE LATEST MLS NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND GOSSIP
This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Very Happy’—Son Heung-min Partnership Helps Denis Bouanga Tie LAFC Goalscoring Record.
