Los Angeles FC midfielder Mateusz Bogusz controls the ball on the pitch against the Vancouver Whitecaps during the first half of the MLS Cup Playoffs, first round match at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, Sunday 27 October 2024. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., contributing photographer)

Los Angeles FC forward Olivier Giroud, top, vies for the ball with Vancouver Whitecaps defender Tristan Blackmon during the first half of the MLS Cup Playoffs, first round match at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, on Sunday, October 27, 2024. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., contributing photographer)

Los Angeles FC midfielder Ryan Hollingshead, right, moves the ball against Vancouver Whitecaps forward Ali Ahmed during the first half of the MLS Cup Playoffs, first round match at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles , on Sunday, October 27, 2024. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., contributing photographer)

Los Angeles FC forward Denis Bouanga, second from left, celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Vancouver Whitecaps during the first half of the MLS Cup Playoffs, first round match at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, Sunday, October 27, 2024. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., contributing photographer)

Los Angeles FC forward Denis Bouanga, left, turns in the air after scoring a goal against the Vancouver Whitecaps during the first half of Game 1 of the first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, Sunday October 27, 2024. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., contributing photographer)

Los Angeles FC forward Denis Bouanga converts a penalty for a goal against the Vancouver Whitecaps during the first half of the MLS Cup Playoffs, First Round match at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, Sunday, October 27, 2024. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., contributing photographer)

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Los Angeles FC midfielder Mateusz Bogusz controls the ball on the pitch against the Vancouver Whitecaps during the first half of the MLS Cup Playoffs, first round match at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles on Sunday, October 27 2024. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., contributing photographer)

Develop

LOS ANGELES — For the Los Angeles Soccer Club, the first match of the best-of-three first round of the MLS Cup playoffs against the Vancouver Whitecaps was not a bombshell like last year’s, even though he seemed like it.

A 2-1 win over the Whitecaps at BMO Stadium gave Western Conference top seed LAFC an early advantage in the series, which travels to British Columbia next Sunday.

Goals from Denis Bouanga and Cristian Olivera carried LAFC, who conceded in the 95th minute as Vancouver pounced on a loose ball in the box that denied Hugo Lloris and the hosts a clean sheet.

Because each game in the series is independent, the score did not matter beyond victory or defeat.

Bouanga continued his torrid scoring record against the Whitecaps, converting a penalty in the 30th minute that gave his team a 1-0 advantage.

After a video review confirmed that former LAFC defender Tristan Blackmon deflected a shot into the box with his arm, Bouanga stepped in and sent Vancouver goalkeeper Yohei Takoaka the wrong way, giving the winger French 28 goals in all competitions this year.

The nod from the spot was Bouanga’s fourth goal against Vancouver in three MLS Cup playoff meetings, and his eighth in nine matches between the two teams over the past two seasons.

Throughout 2024, LAFC has been nearly perfect when scoring first, which it has done a league-high 21 times in the regular season, going 18-2-1 .

After a 5-0 win at Portland in the Wild Card round, the visitors missed a chance to take the lead when Scottish international Stuart Armstrong, a Designated Player signed in September, slipped a pass behind the defense that the Whitecaps top scorer Brian White pounded. at the far post in the seventh minute.

Otherwise, it was another quiet evening for Hugo Lloris, who made three simple saves on the evening.

With Vancouver struggling to create chances, including involving another Scottish international designated player, forward Ryan Gauld, LAFC’s advantage looked more like a comfortable margin as the minutes ticked down to the deadline. final whistle.

When Cristian Olivera fired a missile from the right side of the box in the 57th minute to make it 2-0, the result was effectively locked.

The sequence on Olivera’s winning goal began in midfield, where Bouanga pushed the ball forward before it was relayed by Ryan Hollingshead to Mateusz Bogusz. The Polish striker played a simple ball into the box for Olivera, who, starting from the winger position, once again created several dangerous moments along the right flank.