LAFC clinches best MLS regular season mark with 2-1 win

• LAFC’s Denis Bouanga scored the game-winning goal in stoppage time.
• The 27-year-old winger formerly played for Saint-Étienne in France before joining LAFC.
• The victory gives LAFC its second Supporters’ Shield in four years.

Sunday, five minutes into stoppage time, Denis Bouanga scored the game-winning goal to deliver Los Angeles FC (LAFC) a 2-1 victory at Portland and clinch the Major League Soccer regular-season championship.

The 27-year-old winger for Gabon’s national team, who formerly played for Saint-Étienne in France before joining LAFC in August, scored the game-winning goal to give the club its second Supporters’ Shield in four years.

LAFC’s captain and Mexican striker Carlos Vela opened the scoring in the 51st minute, but the home team’s Colombian Dairon Asprilla equalized in the 81st.

LAFC advanced to 21-8 with four draws for 67 points, 12 clear of second-place Austin for the Western Conference lead, and three ahead of Eastern Conference leader Philadelphia, 18-5 with 10 draws, with the regular season concluding on Sunday.

LAFC clinches the top seed, a first-round bye, home-field advantage in the upcoming playoffs, and a spot in the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League, with the victory.

First-year head coach Steve Cherundolo has led LAFC to the top of the Western Conference table after finishing ninth last season, setting a record for any first-year MLS coach with Sunday’s triumph.

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