LAFC left Santa Clara with more than three points. The 4-2 win over the San Jose Earthquakes at Levi’s Stadium, in front of nearly 51,000 fans, carried plenty of weight for the club. Supporters saw Denis Bouanga hit a hat trick to pull even with Carlos Vela at the top of the team’s all-time scoring list, Son Heung-Min score his second goal since arriving from the Premier League, and the squad stay right in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race.
A start that stunned San Jose
The game had barely kicked off when LAFC struck first. Just 53 seconds in, Son finished a cross from Smoliakov, who had controlled a long ball from Delgado down the left before swinging it into the box. That goal goes down as the third fastest in LAFC history, behind only Arango and Bogusz. San Jose barely had a chance to regroup. By the 10th minute, Bouanga broke free through the middle, rounded keeper Daniel, and made it 2-0. Three minutes later he did it again. Palencia lofted a ball from the right, Bouanga slipped past his man, and chipped over the goalkeeper. In less than 12 minutes, LAFC had built a 3-0 lead.
The Earthquakes finally answered in the 18th when Preston Judd pounced on a loose ball inside the box and cut the deficit to 3-1. The home crowd believed they might see a turnaround, but the half ended with LAFC still firmly in charge.
Bouanga’s milestone
The second half slowed down in pace, but not in tension. LAFC managed possession, keeping San Jose at arm’s length as the hosts searched for a way back. With only three minutes left, Nkosi Tafari played long, Palencia sent in the cross, and Bouanga smashed it first-time to complete his hat trick. That finish meant more than just securing the points. It brought him level with Carlos Vela as the club’s all-time leading scorer, both sitting on 93 goals. For LAFC fans, seeing Bouanga stand alongside Vela in the record books is a marker of how much he’s already shaped the club’s story.
San Jose managed one last moment in stoppage time. Josef Martínez attempted a bicycle kick, the ball took a deflection off Palencia, and slipped past Hugo Lloris to make it 4-2. The scoreline was set, but by then the headlines had already been written.