Denis Bouanga completed a brace by scoring in the fifth minute of stoppage time Sunday and LAFC pulled out a 2-2 draw with visiting St. Louis City SC.
St. Louis (2-4-4, 10 points), which was reduced to 10 men when Alfredo Morales drew his second yellow card in the 83rd minute, went ahead 2-1 in the 89th when LAFC’s Nathan Ordaz scored an own goal off a wild scramble after a free kick.
But Bouanga, who was stopped from the spot by Ben Lundt in the 75th minute, took Cengiz Under’s pass down the left wing as time was expiring. Dribbling around three defenders to create space for his right foot, Bouanga wired a shot into the top right-hand corner for the equalizer.
LAFC (4-4-2, 14 points) had possession for 62.1 percent of the match and enjoyed a 21-12 advantage in shots (9-7 on frame), but it was in chase mode after Cedric Teuchert scored in the 52nd minute to put St. Louis ahead 1-0.
Bouanga equalized in the 70th minute off excellent service by Under, running onto his pass at the left post and flicking the ball between it and Lundt.
The main pregame storyline concerned how LAFC would perform without coach Steve Cherundolo on its bench. He was suspended for the match after drawing a red card for dissent during his team’s 3-3 tie at Portland on April 19.
On the other half of the field, St. Louis was hoping to create more offense after coming into the fixture with just six goals, tied for next-to-last in MLS with the LA Galaxy and just two ahead of Montreal.
For most of the first half, LAFC predictably drove play, possessing the ball at about a 63 percent rate and outshooting St. Louis 7-2. But Lundt saved the only three shots that came his way and the visitors were able to make their way to the break in a scoreless draw.
–Field Level Media
