Under the American lights, two former Ligue 1 figures made their mark at opposite ends of MLS, with Allan Saint-Maximin delivering Charlotte a late attacking lift and Denis Bouanga writing another chapter in Los Angeles FC history.
Saint-Maximin, previously of Lens, scored his first goal for Charlotte to secure victory over DC United. The winger struck low across goal with his left foot, a finish that proved decisive as Charlotte continued their push near the top of the Eastern Conference.
It was his second direct contribution in successive appearances after he registered his first MLS assist at the end of August, helping Charlotte beat Atlanta 2-0. The win over DC United leaves his side fourth in the East.
Bouanga moves beyond Vela at LAFC
On the West Coast, former Ligue 1 forward Denis Bouanga became LAFC’s leading scorer in regular-season history. His goal in the 2-2 draw at San Jose took him to 79 goals in 127 league matches for the club.
That moved Bouanga clear of Carlos Vela, who had set the previous LAFC regular-season mark with 78 goals from 152 appearances. Bouanga has already scored 14 times this season.
LAFC, sixth in the Western Conference, salvaged a point despite playing with 10 men for much of the contest. Defender Aaron Long was sent off in the 36th minute, leaving Bouanga, Hugo Lloris and their teammates to fight through the remainder of the match a man short.
