Gabon international Denis Bouanga is on fire for MLS defending champions Los Angeles FC after scoring five goals in two matches for the club.
Bouanga helped Los Angeles FC maintain their perfect start to the 2023 MLS campaign with a convincing 4-0 win over New England on Sunday.
Bouanga bagged a brace in the game, converting a first-half penalty before securing the lead in the second half. Tilman and Biuk completed the rout for the defending champions to wrap up a sensational win over the visitors at the Banc of California Stadium.
Denis Bouanga’s brace against New England came after he had single-handedly sanctioned Los Angeles FC’s Champions League win over Alajuelense in the midweek.
Bouanga scored a hat-trick in the game to hand the MLS champions a 3-0 victory. He has now increased his goal tally for the club to five goals in two games.
Who is Denis Bouanga?
Denis Athanase Bouanga, born on 11 November 1994, is a Gabonese professional football player who plays as a winger for Major League Soccer club Los Angeles FC and Gabon national team.
Although choosing to play for Gabon national team, Denis Bouanga was born and raised in Le Mans, France where he grew and nurtured his football career.
Bouanga started his football career playing for SO Maine youth before joining the Le Mans youth team in 2011.
After two years in Le Mans academy, the 28-year-old made his first senior club appearance for Mulsanne-Téloché in 2013 before he move to Lorient in 2014.
In his two years spell with Lorient, Denis Bouanga struggled to break into the team’s lineup and was sent on loan spells to Strasbourg and Tours.
Before his loan deal, he had made 38 appearances for Lorient, scoring 10 goals.
After his two years stint with Lorient, Bouanga joined Nimes in 2018, where he made 35 appearances, scoring 8 goals. He spent just a year with Nimes and joined Saint Etienne in 2019, making 97 appearances and scoring 27 goals for the club.
Last summer, Denis Bouanga joined Major League Soccer for £5m after three years at Saint Etienne.
He won his first trophy with the club last year when he netted a stoppage-time winner against Portland Timbers to clinch the Supporters Shield trophy.
The MLS star made his national team debut for Gabon national team in 2016 and joined the team for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.
His first major trophy as a player was the MLS trophy he won with Los Angeles FC in 2022.
Bouanga is set for a blockbuster season with Los Angeles FC as the club battles to retain the MLS crown.
The Gabon international will set a record goal haul for LAFC and the MLS if he continues in his goal-scoring spree.
