Denis Bouanga is the heart of LAFC, poised for stardom in 2023 MLS season

Denis Bouanga is poised to be one of the MLS' biggest stars. Aside from his goal from an impossible angle, the Gabonese-French player is proving to be LAFC's heart and soul.

Bouanga braved a 13-hour flight from Turkey due to international duty (playing the full game for Gabon in its 1-0 victory against Sudan)... and landed just one hour before the start of the game at BMO stadium.

LAFC coach Steve Cherundolo could only praise the player after his performance coming off the bench: "It speaks volumes for his character and his attitude and, you know, I guess his love for LAFC,".

The Los Angeles FC returned to their winning ways after barely defeating FC Dallas in a game that turned out to be more complicated than they expected but managed to get the victory in front of thousands of their fans at the Banc of California Stadium.

An expensive mistake from the defenders who could not control the ball gave Timothy Tillman the perfect opportunity to enter the box to make it 1-0 with just three minutes played. In front of their fans and looking to get back to winning ways, things seemed to be looking better for LAFC.

The reigning MLS champions had everything in their favor to win the match, as they had already won and had an extra man on the pitch, but they could not extend their lead.

The song remained the same In the second half as Carlos Vela and his teammates could not show their superiority on the scoreboard, and the frustration became evident once they lost control and Nkosi Tafari came to put pressure on the team with the equalizer which silenced the thousands in attendance at the stadium.

Then came the beautiful goal from Bouanga who seized the opportunity and managed to control the ball despite the odds and timed the kick perfectly to take the LAFC to victory.