LAFC continued its impressive return to Major League Soccer action Wednesday night, defeating Real Salt Lake 3-1 at BMO Stadium on July 22. Playing in front of its home supporters for the first time in nearly two months, Los Angeles delivered another clinical performance to earn its third consecutive league victory and move to 30 points in the Western Conference.
Son Heung-Min opened the scoring in the 11th minute with another moment of individual quality. After Jacob Shaffelburg helped move the ball into his path, Son attacked the Real Salt Lake defense, created enough separation near the edge of the penalty area and drove a left-footed finish inside the post. It was his second goal in as many games after also scoring in LAFC’s 3-0 victory over the LA Galaxy five days earlier.
Real Salt Lake responded by generating opportunities and putting LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris under pressure, but the visitors could not translate their early attacking activity into an equalizer. LAFC remained patient without the ball and looked increasingly dangerous when space opened for its attacking players on the counter.
Denis Bouanga doubled the advantage in the 40th minute. Mathieu Choinière sent a well-weighted pass behind the RSL defense, allowing Bouanga to race into the penalty area before cutting onto his right foot and finishing from close range. The goal was Bouanga’s eighth of the MLS season and gave LAFC a commanding 2-0 advantage heading into halftime.
The combination of Son and Bouanga once again proved difficult to contain. Both stars had also scored against the Galaxy in LAFC’s previous match, and their ability to stretch defenses in transition gave Real Salt Lake problems throughout the night. With Son finding his rhythm following the World Cup break and Bouanga continuing his consistent production, LAFC’s attack appears to be gaining momentum at an important point in the season.
Los Angeles effectively put the match away in the 68th minute. Son delivered a dangerous ball across the Real Salt Lake penalty area that defender DeAndre Yedlin inadvertently redirected beyond goalkeeper Rafael Cabral and into his own net. The own goal increased LAFC’s lead to 3-0 and left the visitors with a difficult deficit to overcome during the final stages.
The final score did not completely reflect the amount of pressure Real Salt Lake managed to create. RSL finished with a 27-11 advantage in shots, forcing Lloris into six saves. The veteran goalkeeper repeatedly denied the visitors and helped preserve a shutout that lasted until the closing minutes of the match.
Real Salt Lake finally broke through in the 86th minute when Lukas Engel scored the first MLS goal of his career. Saba Lobjanidze, making his RSL debut, helped create the opportunity from a corner before Engel’s close-range effort found its way past Lloris. The goal ended LAFC’s run of 297 consecutive minutes without conceding, but it arrived too late to threaten the result.
The 3-1 victory improved LAFC to 9-5-3 with 30 points and kept the club in third place in the Western Conference immediately following the match. Los Angeles also extended its winning streak against Real Salt Lake to three games after sweeping both meetings between the clubs in 2025. With Son and Bouanga again supplying the goals and Lloris providing stability at the other end, LAFC emerged from another important Western Conference matchup looking increasingly dangerous as the second half of the MLS campaign takes shape.
