Los Angeles FC is firing on all cylinders as the regular season winds down, and their dynamic duo—South Korean superstar Heung-Min Son and Gabonese striker Denis Bouanga—are rewriting the record books.
In Wednesday night’s 4–1 rout of Real Salt Lake, Bouanga etched his name into LAFC history with a goal in the 88th minute, officially surpassing Carlos Vela as the club’s all-time leading scorer.
Bouanga surpasses Vela, becomes LAFC’s top scorer
Bouanga entered the match tied with Vela at 93 goals across all competitions. But with his late strike, he now stands alone with 94 goals in just 144 appearances—eclipsing Vela’s tally, which took 186 matches. The goal capped off a dominant performance led by Son, who netted a hat trick and continues to thrive in his debut MLS season.
The two forwards have quickly become one of the most lethal attacking partnerships in the league, and Bouanga’s milestone only adds to their growing legend in Black & Gold.
Next target: MLS regular season record
While Bouanga now holds LAFC’s overall scoring crown, Vela still leads in regular-season MLS goals with 78. Bouanga currently sits at 60, meaning he’s just 18 goals shy of overtaking Vela in league play.
But there’s another record within reach—and it’s one no player has ever achieved.
Bouanga is one goal away from breaking Messi’s record
With 19 goals this season, Bouanga is on the verge of becoming the first player in MLS history to score 20 or more goals in three consecutive seasons. If he finds the net again this weekend—once again against Real Salt Lake—he’ll break new ground, surpassing Lionel Messi’s recent feat of two straight 20-goal campaigns.
Bouanga, who won the Golden Boot in 2023, is currently third in the 2025 race behind Sam Surridge (21) and Messi (20). But with six games left, the Gabonese striker has plenty of chances to climb the leaderboard and cement his legacy.