LAFC Suffer 2-1 Defeat to Columbus in 2023 MLS Cup

December 9, 2023 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – Los Angeles FC News Release

The Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) saw its quest to repeat as MLS Cup champions end with a 2-1 defeat to the Columbus Crew in MLS Cup 2023 at Lower.com Field in Ohio. Columbus scored a pair of goals four minutes apart late in the first half before MLS Golden Boot winner Denis Bouanga pulled a goal back in the 74th minute. However, LAFC were unable to find an equalizer in the final 16 minutes and were unable to stop the Crew from winning their third MLS Cup.

Columbus took a 2-0 lead into the halftime break after Cucho Hernandez converted a penalty kick in the 33rd minute, snapping LAFC’s 400 minute streak without allowing a goal, and Yaw Yeboah scored the eventual game-winning goal, finishing a pass from Malte Amundsen, four minutes later.

LAFC pulled a goal back in the 74th minute when Bouanga scored his 38th goal of the year in all competitions, tying the MLS record for goals in a calendar year. Jesus Murillo intercepted a pass in the attacking third for LAFC and burst into the box before laying off a pass for Bouanga who had his first shot saved, before converting the rebound to make the score 2-1.

NEWS & NOTES

LAFC is now 1-1 all-time in MLS Cup, having won the MLS Cup title last season before today’s loss.

This loss snapped LAFC’s seven-game unbeaten streak in the MLS Cup Playoffs. Prior to this game, LAFC had not lost in the playoffs since 2020, having not qualified for the postseason in 2021 and winning MLS Cup last year.

The Crew took a 1-0 lead in the 33rd minute when Cucho Hernandez converted a penalty kick to give the home side a 1-0. That goal snapped LAFC’s streak of 400 consecutive minutes without allowing a goal. That streak stretched back to the 40th minute of the Round One Game 1 victory over Vancouver on October 28.

Denis Bouanga scored LAFC’s only goal in the 74th minute. That was his fifth goal of the MLS Cup Playoffs. He finished tied with the Crew’s Cucho Hernandez as the top postseason goal scorer this year.

Bouanga finished 2023 with 38 goals in all competitions for LAFC. That equaled Carlos Vela’s record of 38 goals in a calendar year, which he set in 2019.

In addition to his 38 goals, Bouanga also had 13 assists this year, giving him 51 goal contributions in 48 games in all competitions.

Bouanga is now one of 12 players in MLS history with five or more goals in a single postseason.

LAFC goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau, who has started each of LAFC’s last seven…