Denis Bouanga had a goal with two assists and Los Angeles FC earned a 3-1 victory over visiting Sporting Kansas City on Sunday in their last game before departing for the FIFA Club World Cup.
Eddie Segura and Olivier Giroud also scored goals, while Hugo Lloris made one save for LAFC (7-4-5, 26 points) in a game that was rescheduled from late May because of a conflict with a Club World Cup qualifier.
LAFC extended their unbeaten streak in MLS play to nine games (4-0-5).
Dejean Joveljic scored a first-half goal for Sporting KC (4-9-4, 16 points), who saw a four-game unbeaten streak come to an end. John Pulskamp made four saves for SKC.
LAFC found the focus it needed in their return to MLS play after earning a 2-1 victory over Mexico’s Club America on May 31 to earn the final spot in the Club World Cup. Next in the schedule is an opportunity to face Chelsea of the English Premier League to open Club World Cup group play on June 16 at Atlanta.
Bouanga, LAFC’s best hope at pulling off a major upset, delivered a corner kick into the Sporting KC penalty area during first-half stoppage time where Segura scored on a header.
The goal tied the score 1-1 after Joveljic gave SKC a 1-0 lead in the 39th minute when he found a seam in the LAFC defense and dribbled in from just outside of the penalty area to score past Lloris. It was Joveljic’s 10th goal.
Bouanga put LAFC ahead for good in the 59th minute when he scored from the penalty spot after he was fouled in the box by SKC’s Memo Rodriguez. It was his team-leading eighth goal of the season.
In the third minute of second-half stoppage time, Bouanga dropped the ball off at the penalty spot and Giroud scored his third of the season.
With Club World Cup games ahead against Chelsea, ES Tunis of Tunisia and Flamengo of Brazil, LAFC is not scheduled to return to MLS play until June 28 at the earliest.
–Field Level Media
