When Denis Bouanga touched down in Los Angeles in August 2022, few could have predicted the seismic impact he would have on the club that brought him to the United States. At his previous club, AS Saint-Étienne in France, Bouanga earned a reputation for pace and tenacity, but in the three years since his transfer to LAFC he has turned that reputation into unprecedented production, scoring 101 goals in all competitions, an unmatched total for an MLS player over a 38-month span, staking his claim as the most dangerous open-field player not only in the league, but in its history.
LAFC.com’s video review of each of those 101 goals has been a revelation, a stark visual reminder of how unique this player is— providing example after example of an excellence so consistent that it has become easy to take Bouanga for granted.
Bouanga is a goal scorer, yes, but the video shows that he is not a poacher or an opportunist. He is an attacker who attacks from anywhere and everywhere on the pitch and who does so with the same pace, self-belief, and intensity in the 90th minute as he does in the first.
Bouanga doesn’t just score goals, he scores important goals. There is virtually no stat-padding on his ledger. Only two his 100 goals were scored when LAFC led or trailed by three goals or more—and both came in the same game (a 7-1 win over Juarez in Leagues Cup 2023). Bouanga’s goals have mattered.
The first three goals he scored in an LAFC shirt might still be his most important. His first, an added-time matchwinner in Portland, secured the 2022 Supporters’ Shield and would eventually allow LAFC to host the MLS Cup Final (which they won thanks in part to Bouanga’s 120-minute shift and his penalty conversion in the deciding shootout). On his way to that championship, he scored goals number two and three for his new club against the Galaxy in a 3-2 win in the conference semifinal.
In all, Bouanga has scored 32 gamewinning goals – nearly a third of his total.
His impact increases after halftime. Bouanga has scored 23 goals after the 46th minute that either won the game or tied it.
The fear he inflicts on back lines means he draws lots of penalties, but he doesn’t inflate his numbers with spot kicks. Of the 23 penalty-kick goals Bouanga has scored, he earned 11 of them himself.
Perhaps most impressive of all, Bouanga has scored his 101 goals while carrying the bulk of LAFC’s scoring burden for practically his entire time in LA, attracting constant attention and double teams, especially in 2024 and the first half of 2025, after the league learned the hard way in 2023 who they were dealing with.
In that ’23 campaign, his first full season in Black & Gold, Bouanga tallied 38 goals across all competitions, among the top totals in the world—alongside names like Haaland, Ronaldo, Kane, and Mbappe. He added two more for his country, Gabon, bringing his calendar-year total to 40.
Bouanga is the first player in MLS history to amass three straight 20-goal seasons, but his influence transcends mere data. Bouanga’s charisma and his connection with LAFC’s supporters are key ingredients in his success. To watch an LAFC game is to witness his energy elevating the overall experience—on the field, in stands, for viewers around the world. Bouanga’s endless drive and his daring runs inspire his teammates, drop the jaws of Black & Gold supporters, and evoke shrugs of helplessness from opponents. The roar of the home crowd inspires him (60 goals) just as the jeers in away stadiums fuel him (38 goals).
Along the way, Bouanga has entertained. Fifty-seven (57) of his 101 goals have been followed by his signature front flip celebration—a nod to his days as a teenage break dancer and to his Gabon teammate, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has been front flipping for years. Bouanga has stuck all 57 of those landings, nearly coming up short on a few, while others were so filled with emotion—following matchwinners or especially stunning golazos— that he over-rotated and nearly tumbled onto his face upon landing.
(His front flips are a story unto themselves. Only three of Bouanga’s first 24 goals in black and gold were punctuated with an aerial somersault. He really started flipping in 2024, then he took an unexplained flip hiatus in early 2025. When fans started to notice, he promised he would flip in the next game, which meant of course that he had to score in that game. He came through, of course [on May 14 against Seattle], and has been flipping ever since.)
In a league that has been scrutinized for adding international stars who promise much but deliver little, Bouanga is the outlier. His 101 goals in just over three seasons speak for themselves, blending European flair with African style and making him not just a player who changes the scoreboard but an artist whose work stirs the masses.
In Bouanga, LAFC discovered more than just an effective forward. It unleashed a weapon who has left his own imprint on the beautiful game—and on lots of goal nets as well.
BY THE NUMBERS
ASSISTS:
Carlos Vela assisted on eight of Bouanga’s goals, more than any other player. Ryan Hollingshead and Mateusz Bogusz (6 assists) are tied for second, just ahead of Sergi Palencia (5).
GETTING AHEAD:
Thirty (30) of Bouanga’s 101 goals gave LAFC a 1-0 lead – making him a critical component of the Black & Gold’s 62W-4L-8D league record (.838 winning pct.) since the beginning of 2022 when the Black & Gold has scored first.
BY COMPETITION
MLS REGULAR SEASON (65 GOALS)
LEAGUES CUP (13)*
CONCACAF CHAMPIONS CUP (10)
MLS CUP PLAYOFFS (10)
U.S. OPEN CUP (1)
FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP (INCL. PLAY-IN) (2)
*all-time leading scorer
BY OPPONENT
VS. GALAXY (10 GOALS)
SAN JOSE (10)
VANCOUVER (9)
AUSTIN (8)
RSL (7)
SEATTLE (6)
STL CITY SC (6)
MINNESOTA (5)
DALLAS (3)
PORTLAND (3)
COLORADO (2)
SPORTING KC (2)
SAN DIEGO (1)
