LOS ANGELES -- LAFC had spent much of the season searching for consistency, and Sunday’s El Tráfico offered another reminder of how much work remains before the playoffs begin. Down two goals to the LA Galaxy at BMO Stadium, the Black & Gold finally found the urgency their interim head coach wanted to see, rescuing a 2-2 draw and securing a postseason berth in the process.
For Xavi Tamarit, the comeback was worth celebrating, even if the result left LAFC wanting more. His team had been the better side for stretches of the first half but went into the break trailing before conceding again early in the second. The response that followed, however, was the kind of performance he hopes will carry into the postseason.
“I am very proud about the team, how we overcame in a really difficult situation that we didn't deserve,” Tamarit said. “They never give up.”
LAFC’s comeback began with Denis Bouanga, whose influence against the Galaxy has become a fixture of El Tráfico. After being deployed centrally for much of the recent stretch, Bouanga returned to the left side in the second half, with Heung-min Son moving back up top. The change gave LAFC more life going forward, and Bouanga immediately made an impact.
Two minutes after Joseph Paintsil scored his second goal to put the Galaxy up 2-0 in the 51st minute, Armindo Sieb’s shot forced a spill from goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski. Bouanga was there to finish the rebound, cutting the deficit in half and giving the home crowd a reason to believe again.
Bouanga later explained why the position matters. While he is willing to play as a striker to help the team, he feels more dangerous on the left, where he can use his pace and attack defenders with room to move.
“I’m not so dangerous when I play in the left,” Bouanga said of playing centrally. “But I have to play nine to help the team.”
The difference was visible as LAFC pressed for an equalizer. Son’s cross into the area caused confusion in the Galaxy defense, and Leo Walta pounced on the loose ball to level the match in the 62nd minute. LAFC kept pushing, outshooting the Galaxy 8-0 over the final 28 minutes plus stoppage time, and appeared to have stolen the derby when Bouanga scored in the final moments. The goal was ruled out for offside after review, leaving both teams with a point.
The comeback also could not erase the defensive issues that put LAFC in trouble. Paintsil’s opener came after Robert Taylor carried the ball down the right and found him in the box, while his second followed Hugo Lloris’ spill of an Erik Thommy shot. Defender Aaron Long called both goals “a little cheap, a little easy,” and said the team would need to review the mistakes.
“Scoring two goals at home, that should be a win,” Long said.
The draw officially clinched LAFC’s fifth consecutive MLS Cup Playoffs appearance and eighth in nine seasons. It also leaves the club in sixth place in the Western Conference with two regular-season matches remaining, still within reach of a higher seed and the home playoff game that Long said was important to the group.
Bouanga, meanwhile, was less interested in his individual accomplishments than in what LAFC can do next. He said the team’s playoff run gives it a chance to change the story of a season that has included too many draws.
“This season is more difficult,” Bouanga said. “We can do something in the playoff for sure.”
For LAFC, El Tráfico ended with a point and a postseason ticket. The response after going down 2-0 offered reason for optimism, but the goals conceded showed why the club will need to be sharper if it hopes to make a deep run.