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LOS ANGELES — For the Los Angeles Football Club, Game 1 of the best-of-three opening round of the MLS Cup playoffs against the Vancouver Whitecaps was not a shellacking like last year’s encounter — even if it felt like one.
A 2-1 victory over the Whitecaps at BMO Stadium gave LAFC, the top seed in the Western Conference, an early edge in the series, which heads to British Columbia next Sunday.
Goals by Denis Bouanga and Cristian Olivera carried LAFC, which conceded in the 95th minute as Vancouver pounced on a loose ball in the box that denied Hugo Lloris and the hosts a clean sheet.
Because each match in the series stands on its own, the scoreline did not matter beyond winning or losing.
Bouanga continued his torrid scoring record versus the Whitecaps, converting a penalty in the 30th minute that gave his team a 1-0 advantage.
After a video review confirmed that former LAFC defender Tristan Blackmon deflected a shot in the box with his arm, Bouanga stepped up and sent Vancouver goalkeeper Yohei Takoaka the wrong way, giving the French winger 28 goals in all competitions this year.
The go-ahead strike from the spot was Bouanga’s fourth goal against Vancouver in three MLS Cup playoff meetings, and his eighth through nine matches between the two teams the past two seasons.
Throughout 2024, LAFC was nearly perfect when it scored first, which it did a league-best 21 times in the regular season for an 18-2-1 record.
Coming off a 5-0 win at Portland in the Wild Card round, the visitors missed a chance to jump in front when Scottish international Stuart Armstrong, a Designated Player signing in September, slipped a pass behind the defense that Whitecaps leading scorer Brian White pounded off the far post in the seventh minute.
Otherwise, it was another quiet night for Hugo Lloris, who made three simple saves on the night.
With Vancouver struggling to create chances, particularly involving another Scottish international Designated Player, attacker Ryan Gauld, LAFC’s edge felt more like a comfortable margin as the minutes ticked toward the final whistle.
When Cristian Olivera roofed a missile from the right side of the box in the 57th minute to make it 2-0, the outcome was effectively locked up.
The sequence on Olivera’s game-winning goal began at midfield, where Bouanga pushed the ball forward before it was relayed from Ryan Hollingshead to Mateusz Bogusz. The Polish attacker rolled a simple ball into the box for Olivera, who, starting at wingback, once again created several dangerous moments along the right flank.
LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo went to his bench several times in the last half hour. Striker Kei Kamara took the place of Olivier Giroud in the 65th minute, becoming the third oldest outfield player to appear in an MLS playoff match behind Carlos Valderrama and Preki.
To the delight of the announced crowd of 22,298, Cherundolo also introduced Carlos Vela, whose name the fans chanted as he warmed up near the supporters’ section in the north end of the stadium. The star Mexican’s first appearance came for LAFC in the 85th minute.
