By Mariana Smithfield

NEW YORK (Thursday, May 16, 2024) – Los Angeles Football Club forward Denis Bouanga was voted the Major League Soccer Player of the Matchday for Matchday 14 of the 2024 MLS season.

Bouanga scored both goals as part of LAFC’s 2-0 road win over St. Louis CITY SC on Wednesday night, marking the club’s first road win this season (Watch Highlights From His Performance Here ). The Gabonese international scored his seventh and eighth goals of the season, and the defending Golden Boot winner is one of just six players with at least eight goals this season. Bouanga’s strike in the 59th minute proved to be the game-winning goal of the match and the 10th game-winning score of his career, joining Carlos Vela (19) as the only players in club history with double-digit game-winning goals. In his career, approximately 35% of Bouanga’s regular-season goals have proved to be the game winner (10 of 29). With the victory, LAFC moved up to third in the Western Conference standings with 21 points (6-4-3).

With the game scoreless in the 59th minute, Bouanga broke the deadlock when he snuck past the St. Louis defense, gathered a long pass from Mateusz Bogusz, and struck a well-hit volley into the net for a 1-0 advantage (Watch Here). As St. Louis pushed for an equalizer, Bouanga pounced on a loose ball, dribbled nearly 50 yards, and chipped the ball over the opposing goalkeeper to seal all three points in the 90+5’ (Watch Here).

Bouanga has earned his first MLS Player of the Matchday honor since he took home the award on Matchday 36 of 2023. This is the third Player of the Matchday honor of Bouanga’s career, joining Carlos Vela (nine) and Diego Rossi (three) as the only players in LAFC history to earn at least three Player of the Matchday awards.

Bouanga and LAFC will return to MLS action next week when they travel to face Atlanta United on Saturday, May 25 (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV).

The MLS Player of the Matchday is selected each matchday of the regular season through both media and fan voting in a process conducted by MLS Communications. A panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) comprises 75 percent of the vote, while an X (formerly known as Twitter) fan vote represents the remaining 25 percent of voting. NASR consists of members of print, television, radio, and online media.

COURTESY MLS COMMUNICATIONS