Los Angeles FC's Denis Bouanga, back left, watches as his shot goes wide of the goal past Vancouver Whitecaps goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka during the first half of a CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal soccer match, in Vancouver, on Wednesday, April 5, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
VANCOUVER – Denis Bouanga scored twice and notched an assist Wednesday as Los Angeles FC blanked the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-0 in the first leg of a CONCACAF Champions League matchup.
Kwadwo Opoku added a goal for LAFC, who entered the tournament between the top clubs in North America, Central America and the Caribbean as the reigning Major League Soccer champions.
Goalkeeper John McCarthy stopped two on-target shots to collect the clean sheet for L.A. and Yohei Takaoka made three saves for Vancouver.
The second leg of the two-game aggregate series is set to go Tuesday at BMO Stadium in California.
The ‘Caps earned their way to the quarterfinals with a 7-3 aggregate win over Honduran side Real CD Espana in round-of-16 action last month. LAFC advanced by topping Costa Rica’s LD Alajuelense by an aggregate score of 4-2.
Vancouver managed to smother L.A.’s dynamic offence for much of the first half Wednesday, but lapsed across a 10 minute stretch in the second that saw the visitors put away all three goals.
Takaoka prevented L.A. from notching a fourth goal in the 85th minute when Sergi Palencia sprinted in on a breakaway and the ‘keeper dashed out, dropped to the turf and swatted the ball away from the defender’s feet.
Bouanga put away his second goal of the night in the 65th minute to give the visitors a commanding 3-0 lead.
Timothy Tillman sent the Frenchman a pass in the penalty area and Bouanga dribbled around a trio of Whitecaps defenders before firing a left-footed shot in from the top of the six-yard box.
LAFC went up 2-0 in the 61st minute thanks to a breakdown in Vancouver’s defence.
Falling to the turf, Bouanga got the ball to Opoku and Takaoka came well off his line to challenge the Ghanaian forward. Opoku waltzed around the ‘keeper and sliced a left-footed shot between Whitecaps defenders Tristan Blackmon and Ranko Veselinovic as they scrambled to protect their net.
Bouanga broke the scoreless deadlock in the 55th minute. Stationed well above the penalty area, he collected a pass from Carlos Vela and fired off a right-footed shot that soared over Takaoka as he leapt up from his goal line to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.
The first half proved to be a defensive battle, with L.A. controlling 65.1 per cent of possession but Vancouver outshooting the visitors 4-2, including the lone on-target attempt.
L.A. nearly opened the scoring in the 32nd minute when Bouanga snuck through the ‘Caps back line and collected a through ball from Vela. Alone in the box, the striker launched a shot, only to see it roll wide of the far post.
Vancouver’s best chance of the first half came in the 13th minute when Blackmon sent a right-footed blast sailing from inside the penalty area. McCarthy stretched out and got his fingertips on the shot, sending the ball sailing just wide of the woodwork.
Both sides will return to MLS action Saturday with the ‘Caps hosting their Pacific Northwest rivals, the Portland Timbers, and Austin FC visiting L.A.
NOTES: LAFC (3-0-2) is one of three teams that remain undefeated in MLS play this season. The Whitecaps are 1-2-3 in league action. “¦An announced crowd of 11,652 took in the game at B.C. Place.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 5, 2023.
