LOS ANGELES — A confidence-boosting win on Wednesday gave the Los Angeles Football a result it could build on.
And that’s exactly what LAFC did Saturday night, disentangling FC Dallas 2-0 to secure back-to-back three-point efforts at BMO Stadium.
Goals by Nathan Ordaz and Denis Bouanga before the break paved the way for consecutive wins in league matches for LAFC since the first two weeks of the season.
Throughout the opening half hour, LAFC tried to break down another foe working out of a deep block using the same lineup that handled the Rapids. They wouldn’t put a shot on target until the 22nd minute, but LAFC still created moments of danger, showcasing some of the improved play head coach Steve Cherundolo complimented his players on after beating Colorado.
Ordaz pounced in the 31st minute, capitalizing on an assist by Bouanga that was created off a Dallas (5-10-6, 21 points) turnover in the visitors’ defensive third. When the ball bounced to Mark Delgado, the midfielder dished to Bouanga, who took a nice touch and connected with Ordaz in the box.
The 21-year-old L.A. native, an international for El Salvador, controlled the pass and turned in one fluid motion, slotting his shot low inside the far post to best Dallas goalkeeper Maarten Paes to give him goals in consecutive games.
Ordaz’s fifth goal in MLS play upped Bouanga’s team-leading assist total to seven. Then the Frenchman’s team-leading goal tally increased to 10 shortly before the whistle for halftime.
Making the most of a wide-open transition moment, Delgado fed Bouanga, who powered into the box and split a pair of Dallas defenders, leading to a foul on Shaq Moore and the winger’s fifth successful penalty this year.
Ignoring the break in MLS play to participate in the FIFA Club World Cup, LAFC has lost only once in its last 13 MLS games.
Coincidentally or not, Bouanga, who was goalless in the club’s first six league games, scored 10 times in his last 12 appearances.
The victory elevated LAFC (9-5-5, 32 points) into the sixth spot in the Western Conference before a trip to Minnesota on Wednesday.
For the players, that confidence boost “means that we’re coming back to the rhythm we had before the Club World Cup,” midfielder Timothy Tillman said this week. “Before the Club World Cup, we were very successful, very confident, and that’s where we are now, especially emotionally. We just need to keep the confidence high and keep performing.”