In Los Angeles, where Carlos Vela helped give LAFC its early attacking identity, Denis Bouanga has moved beyond the Mexican forward in the club’s record books. The Gabon international scored in the 2-2 draw with San Diego on 19 September to become LAFC’s leading scorer in MLS regular-season history.
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Bouanga’s goal took him to 79 regular-season goals for LAFC, one more than Vela’s previous club mark of 78. He reached the total in 127 MLS regular-season appearances, while Vela needed 152 matches to compile his tally.
The new landmark also underlines Bouanga’s broader standing in the Los Angeles side’s short but productive history. Since arriving in 2022, following his spell at Saint-Étienne in France, the forward has scored 122 goals for LAFC across all competitions. Vela finished his time at the club with 93 goals in total.
Diego Rossi, now with Monterrey, remains third on LAFC’s all-competitions scoring list with 59 goals.
Vela retains one major individual club distinction: his 34-goal MLS campaign in 2019 remains LAFC’s best single-season league return. It stands 10 goals above Bouanga’s highest-scoring MLS season.
A new chapter in LAFC’s attack
Born in France and an international for Gabon, Bouanga has become a defining figure of LAFC’s more recent years. His 2023 MLS Golden Boot was followed by continued scoring consistency, with the forward now among the players to have recorded at least 20 goals in three consecutive MLS seasons.
For a club that first found its signature attacking star in Vela, Bouanga’s record provides another marker of its changing eras: the former Saint-Étienne player now leads LAFC both in regular-season MLS goals and in goals across every competition.
