Denis Bouanga: Star striker is finally connecting the dots at LAFC

​​​​It was the 55th minute in the Concacaf Champions League tie between the Vancouver Whitecaps and LAFC when Denis Bouanga received the ball in midfield. The 28-year-old Gabonese striker took another step, briefly looked up, enough of a glimpse to realize that goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka was just a step off his line, and then thundered the ball home from 30 yards out. 

An incredible goal, one that opened the floodgates as LAFC would quickly double the lead thanks to a goal by Kwadwo Opoku in the 61st minute, and then Bouanga would wrap it up with another fantastic individual effort in the 65th minute. Ten minutes were enough for Bouanga to dismantle the Whitecaps and wrap up a 3-0 victory. The two goals against the Whitecaps have brought Bouanga’s tally in the Champions League to five, making him the top goalscorer in that competition (overview).

“You can’t,” Vancouver Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini said when asked whether you can prevent a player like Bouanga from turning it on suddenly. “There is a good reason why some players make the big bucks and are very good. Against those players, you have to be perfect for 90 minutes, and if they score a goal as he did, you just have to sit back and applaud.”

Denis Bouanga: At times still "a bit too individual"

Yet Cherundolo wasn’t 100% satisfied. “If I am completely honest with you, I thought he was quite poor up until that goal,” LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo said after the game. “After that, he was much better. At times, things get a bit too individual and complicated, and we are in a better position if we connect more passes and find Denis and run more players into the box and not in midfield.” 

LAFC signed Bouanga for €4.55m ($5m) last August, and the Gabonese national team player finished the 2022 season with three goals and one assists in ten games across all competitions. The low transfer fee and the slow start has meant that Bouanga’s market value has dropped from €8m to €6m since joining LAFC. The start of this season, however, indicates that that dip in market value might be just temporary. Indeed, Bouanga has been a key player for Cherundolo to compensate for the departure of last season’s goalscorer Cristian Arango, who had to be sold in the offseason to keep the club within the salary cap.

“He is a very important player in our squad, especially after losing our no.9 from last season, and players like Denis need to step up and be a bit more prolific and productive,” Cherundolo said on Wednesday. And indeed, Bouanga has stepped up this season. Although a winger, the forward is now finding himself increasingly in a more central role and has scored eight goals and two assists in eight games across all competitions for LAFC this season.

Bouanga: LAFC striker is starting to connect "the dots"

“Denis showed us his potential last year, and he has kinda connected the dots this season and has become very prolific for us,” Cherundolo said. “He is an incredible individual player who has now understood our system a little better, and we are getting him into better positions than last season.” A quick glance at the Transfermarkt database reveals what that means. Bouanga has played as a left-winger, center-forward, and right-winger under Cherundolo this season. And, Bouanga has been prolific wherever he has been put to start a game. Bouanga has scored three goals in three games as a left-winger, two goals and one assist as a right-winger, and two goals and two assists playing as a center-forward (overview). 

Nonetheless, Cherundolo believes that he can get even more out of his no.99. “Sometimes he gets things mixed up, but he is smart enough and intelligent enough to figure that part out,” Cherundolo said. “We are happy with how he finished the game, but we will certainly also have to have a talk about the start.” Furthermore, Cherundolo also expressed caution when it was suggested that Bouanga was now the face of the organization. “Our goal is to win football matches, and Denis helps us and is one of many players in our organization who will help do that, and everybody in this team understands that you are at LAFC to win games,” Cherundolo said. “For us, it isn’t the goal to become the face of an organization to win games and championships, and Denis helps us greatly.”

Cherundolo’s comments underline LAFC’s club philosophy. A great ten minutes against the Whitecaps might be enough to win a game, but only consistency will win championships. Bouanga has shown this season that he has become a more consistent threat, filling the void left by Arango, but at the same time, the coaching staff is pushing for more to get more out of a player, who could become one of the biggest stars in MLS.