Denis Bouanga believes Los Angeles FC got a much-needed wake-up call when they lost to San Jose Earthquakes, as they prepare to face FC Dallas on Saturday.
LAFC lost 3-1 to the Earthquakes on May 5, but have since won all six of their games in all competitions, keeping a clean sheet in each of the last five.
They extended that run with a 2-0 win over Minnesota United at home on Wednesday and are now just three points behind Western Conference leaders Real Salt Lake in third.
Bouanga has praised the response from LAFC, saying, "I think that losing to San Jose was a good wake-up call for us.
"We are LAFC but every club against us wants to win. The MLS is starting to have good players in good teams. We also have good players, but that was a big wake-up call.
"We've come back with a simple base - the forwards are scoring; the defenders are defending well and that's why we've had six wins and five clean sheets. I'm really happy, and I think everybody else is about the results."
Dallas sit in 12th with just 13 points following a three-match winless streak, including a 3-1 loss on the East Coast against LA Galaxy in midweek.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
LAFC – Denis Bouanga
Since May 11, all eight goals scored by LAFC in MLS play have been scored or assisted by either Denis Bouanga (three goals, three assists) or Mateusz Bogusz (three goals, one assist).
The only MLS players who had at least three goals and three assists in the month of May were Bouanga and Cincinnati’s Luciano Acosta.
Dallas – Patrickson Delgado
All three of Delgado’s goals this season in all competitions have come in Dallas' last three matches.
The Ecuadorian is one of five MLS players currently under the age of 21 with at least three goals in 2024 and one of two of those from outside the United States (also Venezuela’s Kevin Kelsy).
MATCH PREDICTION: LOS ANGELES FC WIN
The home side won all four meetings between Los Angeles and Dallas over the previous two seasons. LAFC has never lost at home against Dallas (W4 D1), winning the last four in a row after drawing the first meeting in 2018.
Indeed, Los Angeles have won six straight matches in all competitions with the last five all being shutouts. LAFC have one longer winning run in team history (seven straight in July-August 2022), but the five straight clean sheets make for the longest shutout streak by the club.
Meanwhile, Dallas suffered a 3-1 defeat to LA Galaxy on Wednesday, their second straight game allowing three goals and the fourth time doing so in league play this season. Over the previous two seasons, the club allowed three or more goals in four total league games (twice in both 2022 and 2023).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
LAFC – 57.2%
Draw – 22.2%
Dallas – 20.6%
Seattle Sounders v Sporting Kansas City: Schmetzer wary of ‘dangerous’ visitors
Brian Schmetzer was under no illusion that the Seattle Sounders’ upcoming MLS fixture against Sporting Kansas City will be anything but easy.
The Sounders returned to winning ways in style, comfortably dispatching Leagues Cup winners Columbus Crew 4-0 away from home last time out.
Schmetzer’s side find themselves sitting fifth in the Western Conference table, with the advantage of having four of their remaining six MLS fixtures at Lumen Field.
And the Sounders head coach insisted their home form would be critical until the end of the season, but he acknowledged the task awaiting his players in their next game.
“It is critical. We need to tell the players the importance of home games because last year Sporting KC came here and beat us and it gave them life, while also putting them on a little bit of a run,” Schmetzer said.
“They have an Open Cup final to look forward to, so they are a dangerous opponent. We want to make sure that we get as many points as possible in these home games because we have this advantage.
“They are a similar team to us. It is the MLS, there are ebbs and flows in every season with every team, so we have to be careful.”
Kansas City, meanwhile, are riding the crest of a wave having gone unbeaten in their last three matches in all competitions, including securing a place in the US Open Cup final.
But their latest result saw them concede an 89th-minute equaliser against the New York Red Bulls, taking their total to 22 points dropped from winning positions this season, the joint-most in the MLS.
But despite that late setback, head coach Peter Vermes is relishing the battle against a side right in the thick of the playoff picture.
“We have had a lot of good matches against each other over the years,” Vermes said.
“I always think that if you are a fan, or just an innocent bystander watching the game, it always winds up being something that you enjoy because it’s always a good game to watch.
“Both teams try to play and there is a lot of competition between the two teams. It’s physical but it’s never dirty and all of us enjoy participating in those kind of games.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Seattle Sounders – Albert Rusnak
Rusnak netted his first career MLS hat-trick in Seattle’s 4-0 win over Columbus last time out.
He became the first Slovakian to score an MLS treble, the 51st different country to have at least one of its representatives score a hat-trick in regular season MLS play.
Kansas City – Johnny Russell
Russell has scored a career-best seven regular season goals against the Sounders, including netting one in the meeting between the sides in June.
Only Chris Wondolowski (12), Robbie Keane (nine) and Fanendo Adi (eight) have scored more regular season goals against Seattle than the Scot.
MATCH PREDICTION: SEATTLE SOUNDERS WIN
While Seattle are predicted to emerge victorious according to Opta’s data-led simulations, the Sounders have lost back-to-back home matches, both against Los Angeles FC, in the Leagues Cup and US Open Cup.
Seattle have only lost three of their last 17 matches going back to the beginning of May, with all three defeats coming at the hands of LAFC (W10 D4 L0 vs. all other teams).
Kansas City have enjoyed recent trips to Lumen Field, however, winning four of their last five visits to Seattle (L1) after recording just two wins in their first 11 matches against the Sounders in all competitions (D2, L7).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Seattle Sounders – 53.5%
Draw – 23.8%
Kansas City – 22.6%
Glenmuir stay perfect in Zone I of daCosta Cup after 2-0 win over neighbours Garvey Maceo
Glenmuir High extended their perfect start to the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/Wata daCosta Cup as they blanked neighbours Garvey Maceo 2-0 in a lopsided Zone I affair in May Pen, Clarendon, on Saturday.
Ricardo Binns’ third goal of the season in the 29th and Orel Miller’s seventh of the season in the 40th was enough to seal the three points, which kept Glenmuir atop the standings on maximum nine points.
The defeat, Garvey Maceo’s first of the season, saw them slip to third on six points as Foga Road (seven points) jumped to second after a 6-0 beating of Porus High.
Glenmuir’s Head coach Andrew Peart welcomed the win.
“I am pleased with the win and the maturity shown by the players. For most of them its three years so as they get older, you expect more of them and I thought they showed that. One of the key things for us was not to get the game stretched and I thought we did that well,” Peart said in a post-game interview.
“It is step by step where our title ambitions are concerned; for us, the main thing now is to get out of the group and then we go from there. Yes, we plan long term but we are working short term so its day by day for us right now,” he added.
It was expected to be a close contest between two of last season’s semi-finalists, but Glenmuir had other ideas and should have won by a wider margin.
The Champions Cup holders dominated proceedings from the start as they were enterprising in the attacking third and created numerous chances, though they struggled to apply the finishing touch.
It wasn’t until close to the half-hour mark that they inevitably broke the deadlock from a sustained attacking spell, when Binns headed into an empty net after a decent first touch kept the ball alive ahead of the advancing Garfield Tomlinson in goal for Garvey Maceo.
The lead was doubled 11 minutes later courtesy of Miller, who sidewined his way through four defenders before driving a firm left-footed effort past the hapless Tomlinson to make it 2-0 at the break.
Down, but not out, Garvey Maceo showed more purpose on the attacking front on the resumption and created a few half chances, which amounted to nothing.
From there, the contest offered very little to write home about as Glenmuir showed very little in attack, seemingly content with what they already had, while Garvey Maceo did little to trouble their opponents defensive line.
Garvey Maceo’s head coach Lester Hibbert believes indiscipline led to their demise.
“We gave them instructions to stay with their markers because Glenmuir was doing a lot of movements. When we started the game, we kept them behind the ball but we lost the discipline and conceded two goals, so we just have to brush ourselves off and come again for the next game on Wednesday,” Hibbert said.
Saturday’s results
Vere Technical 0, Kemps Hill 2
Glenmuir 2, Garvey Maceo 0
Foga Road 6, Porus 0
William Knibb 5, Holland 0
Maggotty High 1, Newell 0
Mannings 9, Godfrey Stewart 0
Alston 1, Troy 0
Herbert Morrison 3, St James 0
Anchovy 1, Rusea’s High 0
B.B Coke 1, Munro College 0
Lennon 0, Clarendon College 2
Irwin High 3, Green Pond High 3
Spot Valley 2, Cedric Titus 0
Port Antonio 2, Wycliffe Martin High 0
Grange Hill 1, Black River 2
Maldon 0, Cornwall College 1
'We played two different games' - Maresca hails Chelsea response in Bournemouth win
Enzo Maresca felt Chelsea reaped rewards for "getting your t-shirt dirty", as they snatched a late victory over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.
The Blues endured a steady start with their hosts generating the greater attacking threat for most of the contest, with Robert Sanchez keeping out Evanilson's first-half penalty.
Marcus Tavernier and Ryan Christie also struck the woodwork for the hosts, but substitute Christopher Nkunku landed the decisive blow five minutes from time.
And Maresca was pleased with his side's response to a difficult first-half performance.
"We played two different games," he told Sky Sports. "The first half, we struggled. We didn't win duels; we didn't win second balls. The second half, we were much better.
"We knew before the game that Bournemouth are very high-pressing, man-to-man orientated. We faced a team who are very aggressive, it was more off the ball that we struggled. [The] second half completely changed the picture.
"This is football. Last time against [Crystal] Palace, we completely deserved to win the game. We had chances and we drew. Today, it was there, and, in the end, we won.
"You cannot come here to this stadium and think about winning the game without getting your t-shirt dirty. You need to win duels, you need to fight. If we are able to do this for 95 minutes, you have more chances to win games."
Maresca handed a debut to new signing Jadon Sancho, who was introduced as a half-time substitute before providing the assist for Nkunku's winner.
And the Manchester United loanee lifted the lid on how he is finding life since his switch to Stamford Bridge.
"It's amazing to make my debut for Chelsea," he told Sky Sports. "Just being back playing, I'm very grateful. The team played very well; we dug in to the end and got the three points.
"I've been working hard for this moment, and I'm happy I got my chance. Going into this season, I wanted to have a good start, and I'm happy.
"I have to say thank you to the staff and teammates. The first day I came in, they made me feel welcome and comfortable."
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