August 14, 2024 – Major League Soccer (MLS)
Los Angeles FC News Release
LAFC advanced to the quarterfinals of Leagues Cup 2024 for the second straight year with a 4-1 win over the San Jose Earthquakes at BMO Stadium on Tuesday night. Denis Bouanga scored twice and Cristian Olivera and Mateusz Bogusz each added goals for the home side. Forward Olivier Giroud made his LAFC debut when he entered the match in the 71st minute, replacing Olivera.
LAFC next faces the Seattle Sounders at Lumen Field in Seattle on Saturday, August 17. That game will kick off at 5 p.m. PT with the winner advancing to the Leagues Cup semifinals against either Club America of Liga MX or the Colorado Rapids.
After a quiet opening 15 minutes for both sides, LAFC grabbed the lead thanks to Olivera. Ryan Hollingshead won a header near midfield, putting the ball into the path of Olivera who cut past an Earthquakes defender before firing a right-footed shot past goalkeeper William Yarbrough to give LAFC a 1-0 lead.
San Jose equalized in the 41st minute on a goal from Hernán Lopez. The Argentine midfielder hit a left-footed volley from the center of the box, tying the game at 1-1.
Just before halftime, Yarbrough pulled down Eduard Atuesta inside the San Jose penalty area, giving LAFC a penalty kick which Bouanga fired past Yarbrough to send LAFC into halftime with a 2-1 lead.
Bogusz extended the LAFC lead to 3-1 just after the hour mark when he collected a pass from Ilie Sánchez and hit a long-range shot that went through the hands of Yarbrough and into the net. Five minutes later, Bouanga put the game out of reach with his second goal of the game, making the score 4-1.
NEWS & NOTES
LAFC has now reached the quarterfinals of Leagues Cup each year that the competition has been played. The Philadelphia Union are the only other MLS club to have achieved that feat.
LAFC is now 20-5-6 in all competitions in 2024. The club is 14-5-5 in MLS play, 3-0-0 in the U.S. Open Cup and now 3-0-1 in Leagues Cup.
At BMO Stadium, LAFC is 14-1-4 in 2024, keeping a clean sheet in nine of those 19 games.
Since suffering a 3-1 loss to San Jose on May 4, LAFC has compiled a 16-1-3 record in all competitions.
In two games against the Earthquakes at BMO Stadium this year, LAFC has outscored San Jose 10-3, with Mateusz Bogusz and Denis Bouanga each scoring three times.
LAFC is 5-1-1 all-time in Leagues Cup, including 5-0-1 at BMO Stadium. In those seven games, LAFC has outscored its opponents 24-7, including 22-4 at BMO.
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