LAFC DEFEATS HOUSTON 2-0, EXTENDS UNBEATEN STREAK TO FOUR
LAFC extended its unbeaten streak to four games with a 2-0 win over the Houston Dynamo on Saturday night at BMO Stadium. Nathan Ordaz and Jeremy Ebobisse scored on either side of halftime for the home side, who are now 5-4-2 on the season for 17 points.
Ordaz opened the scoring in the 10th minute, finishing off a quick counterattack with his second league goal of the season and fourth in all competitions. Timothy Tillman started the attack by collecting the ball in midfield and quickly spraying a pass out to David Martínez on the right flank. Martínez ran at the Dynamo defense before playing a short pass up the wing to Sergi Palencia whose low cross was parried by Houston goalkeeper Jonathan Bond, but Ordaz was there to slot home the rebound, giving LAFC a 1-0 advantage.
LAFC doubled its lead in the 79th minute with Tillman once again starting a quick counterattack by winning the ball at the top of his own 18-yard box and playing a long ball forward to Denis Bouanga on the left wing near midfield. Bouanga ran at the Houston defense, setting up a two-on-one with Ebobisse, who had entered the game in place of Ordaz three minutes earlier. Bouanga played a pass to the feet of Ebobisse, who cut inside onto his left foot before hitting a low shot past the dive of Bond to make the score 2-0.
That would be all the scoring that LAFC would need as the club limited Houston to four shots, none on target.
LAFC will be back in action on Sunday, May 11, when the club heads to the Pacific Northwest to face the Western-Conference-leading Vancouver Whitecaps.
Hugo Lloris registered his fourth shutout of the regular season and his 16th in 43 appearances for LAFC over the past two seasons.
During the 2022-24 MLS seasons, Denis Bouanga tallied nine shots in a game twice. This season, he has done so four times, including in each of the last three matches. Bouanga had nine shots, five of which were on goal, tonight against the Dynamo.
His five shots on goal tie a career-high, which he has achieved four times in 80 regular-season appearances for the club.
