LOS ANGELES — Goal scorers get the headlines.
For the Los Angeles Football Club, that was the case three ways on Sunday at BMO Stadium.
As LAFC legend Carlos Vela watched with his family on a night dedicated to his enormous contributions with the club, current stars Denis Bouanga and Son Heung-min both scored and the Black & Gold beat Real Salt Lake 4-1 for the second time in five days.
For the pair of explosive attackers, this was the fifth game in a row that they scored each of LAFC’s goals — giving them 14 over that span.
Bouanga’s initial finish of his second hat-trick in three games came in stoppage time of the opening half, leveling the score after RSL jumped ahead in the 14th minute on a wicked strike by Colombian defender Brayan Vera for his first of the season. With the performance, LAFC becomes the first team in MLS history to record hat tricks in three consecutive matches (Bouanga, Son, Bouanga).
Coming off a deft assist from Son, the goal made the 30-year-old French winger the first player in Major League Soccer history to complete back-to-back-to-back 20-goal seasons, besting Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Josef Martinez and David Villa, who previously did so in consecutive campaigns.
Last Wednesday, Bouanga scored his 94th goal with LAFC, passing Vela for the most in all competitions with the club. With five games to go in the regular season, Bouanga said he wants to reach 100 by the close of Decision Day on Oct. 18.
He scored his 96th goal in the 73rd minute thanks to Andy Moran’s first assist with the club and capped the evening with No. 97 from Jeremy Ebobisse in the 87th minute.
Bouanga tied Lionel Messi for the lead in this season’s Golden Boot race with 22.
On an emotional evening, knowing that their fourth consecutive MLS Cup playoff berth under head coach Steve Cherundolo had been clinched the day before when San Jose lost at home, LAFC took the pitch seeking its ninth point in nine days following a pair of dominant road wins.
The team was not particularly sharp until stoppage time of the opening half. Once Bouanga scored, there was little RSL (10-16-4, 34 points) could do.
Ahead of the halftime whistle, Son scored from outside the 18, taking two touches to his left and striking a dipping shot inside the far post for his sixth with the club.
Before kickoff, Son and Vela exchanged a nice moment before the Mexican icon was inducted into the club’s newly formed Ring of Honor located on the southwest side of the stadium.
“After all these years, I feel proud of where we are,” Vela said as the announced crowd of 22,901 showered him with love. “I feel proud of all the moments we shared. I think the team is in a good time now, so I’m happy.”
Vela, 36, became the first player to sign with LAFC in 2017 and served as the face of the franchise through his retirement on May 27 of this year.
“El Rey” announced the end of his days as a professional footballer after a decorated 19-year run for club and country. His final appearance came with LAFC in a playoff match against Vancouver last October.
Following stints in Spain and England, Vela’s skills translated exceedingly well to MLS, where he holds league records, including several from 2019 during arguably the best single season in its history.
Recipient of the most valuable player award for a team that secured the Supporters’ Shield in 2019, Vela scored the most goals (34) and made the most goal contributions (49) in a single season. His 1.10 goals per game average remains a record.
The all-time leading Mexican goal scorer in MLS was a four-time All-Star (2018, 2019, 2021, 2022) and three-time Best XI selection (2018, 2019, 2022). As captain, Vela led LAFC to the MLS Cup and a second Supporters’ Shield trophy in 2022.
Vela wrapped up the joyous night with the team in front of the 3252 supporters in the North End, singing the celebratory “sha la la.”
Fourth in the Western Conference, five points above Seattle with a game in hand, LAFC (14-7-8, 50 points) visits 13th-place St. Louis City next weekend.