Since it’s inception, the Southern California rivalry dubbed El Traffico has ALWAYS lived up to the expectations.  Saturday’s iteration was absolutely no exception, as the struggling LA Galaxy overcame a pair of two goal deficits to leave BMO Stadium with a well earned point.  There’s a strong argument that it’s currently the best rivalry in MLS, and you won’t hear any other opinion out of me.

In 24 MLS matches, the statistics are nearly deadlocked.  LAFC currently have the edge with nine wins compared to Galaxy’s eight, with seven draws mixed in.  There’s real hatred between the cross town rivals, which throws gasoline on the already massive fire that’s ignited every time they meet.  It does’t ever seem to matter how their respective seasons are going, this game always brings fireworks— and that’s what rivalries are all about.

This edition felt like it would be an anomaly after Denis Bouanga pulled LAFC ahead in the 25th minute (more on him in the analysis).  The hosts doubled their lead just five minutes later when Nathan Ordaz found Javairô with a beautiful cross whipped behind the back line, which he tucked neatly into the far post.  It seemed the Galaxy were in for a long night until they received a lifeline in the 36th minute.  Gabriel Pec cut the deficit in half, converting a penalty kick preceded by a Ryan Hollingshead handball in the box.  The scoreline held firm until the 67th minute when Bouanga picked up a ball on his own side of midfield, outpaced both Galaxy center backs and slotted his second of the game, finishing off a stunning solo effort.  Just 10 minutes later, Pec nabbed his own brace, bringing the Galaxy deficit back to just one.  Galaxy nearly drew level in the 88th, but Hugo Lloris made a last ditch save on Christian Ramirez, seemingly saving the game for LAFC.  Tempers flared a couple minutes later and when the dust settled, LAFC center back Eddie Segura saw his marching orders, getting sent off as added time began (another all time MLS photo right here.

Seven minutes into the prescribed five of added time, Galaxy captain Maya Yoshida channeled his inner striker, rising above the rest and heading in the tying goal, silencing BMO Stadium.  The final action of the game sealed one of the most drama filled El Traffico chapters yet.

Galaxy will be thrilled with the stolen point, as they’ve quietly been in improved form over their last five games.  Wins against Vancouver and DC United and draws in both of their rivalry matchups see the reigning MLS Cup Champs in the midst of their form of the season.  LAFC on the other hand dropped a spot, falling to 5th in the West and losing their grip on a clear path for first place.  With San Diego and Vancouver’s slight falloff in form, LAFC will have no problem believing the top spot is still well within their grasp.

We are 30 years into MLS, and the list of incredible players that have graced this league is long and distinguished.  Denis Bouanga has to be considered among the best players who came into the league as more or less unknown players to North American soccer fans and have made their mark on the history of the league.  It’s his third full season for the Black and Gold, and he’s broken 40 goal contributions in all competitions in both of his previous campaigns.  They won the clubs only MLS Cup in his first season (as an incoming summer transfer), made the finals of the Concacaf Champions Cup in 2023, the US Open Cup in 2024, and qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup most recently.  Safe to say he’s enjoyed the most successful time at the club in LAFC’s short history.  There’s no question he’s been a huge part of their success, but what makes him such a handful to deal with for opposing teams?

First off, Bouanga is a freak athlete.  He’s one of the quickest players you’ll see, he’s got great footwork, especially when dribbling at defenders, and it seems like he’s most fresh late on in games when the rest of his opponents are tired.  Add on top that the ball pops off his foot, I mean this guy can really shoot.  Saturday night in El Traffico, Bouanga scored a goal that is the epitome of who he is as a player.

Usually strikers are big and strong OR fast and active.  Bouanga has the ability to do both for LAFC, making him maybe the most versatile forward in the league.  The craziest part of this entire goal is the fact that Bouanga passes it to himself— Ordaz doesn’t even get a touch on the ball.  The former Golden Boot winner gets on the end of his own outlet pass, outrunning all five Galaxy players that were near the ball.  He’s good for a couple wacky goals like this per season, but he scores in loads of different ways.  The one point of concern I have with Bouanga (a question which seems almost weird to pose) is should he be scoring more?  Yes, I know… he’s a Golden Boot winner he scores goals for fun but hear me out— he misses some really big chances.  His xG, per footystats.org is nearly nine on the season, and he’s got seven MLS goals.  I’m really not a big xG guy to be honest, but it does show a trend with Bouanga’s finishing.  Last year Bouanga had 13 non penalty goals in MLS league play and a non-penalty xG of 17.1.

You might ask, “well, why hasn’t it cost them games yet? Must not be that big of a problem.”

That’s because it hasn’t been a problem for them.  Outside of Bouanga, LAFC has a really solid roster.  They’ve got a goalkeeper with a fantastic resume, they’ve averaged less than a goal against per game at home this season, and Nathan Ordaz has emerged as a really consistent attacker.  What may have put LAFC over the top this year is the offseason trade for Mark Delgado (sorry Galaxy fans).  He fills a void in the center of the pitch for them that’s been empty since Eduard Atuesta left for Palmeiras back in 2021.  He’s steady on the ball, covers a ton of ground, and does all the under the radar work that’s required of him.

The LA Galaxy have three wins, two losses, and three draws since the final day of May.  Seems like a pretty decent stretch, no? It is, and if this was their form from game one to game eight after losing most of your impactful players and having 3 injured DPs, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.  The rules in MLS hurt the teams that do well.  Galaxy went all in for their MLS Cup season, and were rewarded with a salary cap nightmare when all the dust settled.  A mass selling off occurred, and Greg Vanney and co. were stuck trying to fill in the gaps.  Winning isn’t easy as it is, but when player’s bonuses and raises hit the cap for the following season, something’s gotta give… and that something is LA Galaxy in 2025.  We all spent the first three months of the season wondering when (or if, at times) they’d get their first league win.  Once they finally did, the outside noise stopped, and Galaxy have been in every game since.

Galaxy fans, I understand your frustration.  I appreciate the expectations you have for your organization. I like that you hold the club to a higher standard. But relax. You just won an MLS Cup and you locked in one of the best coaches in MLS for another stint at the helm.  They don’t just grow these coaches on trees, by the way.  Not everyone has it as good as you.  Greg Vanney spent the first four years of his tenure building up the roster to what it became last year, and it was completely worth it, wasn’t it?  Unfortunately, this is a product of winning in this league.  You can’t possibly pay guys what they’re worth and keep your All-Star roster together… sacrifices have to be made.  Oh, and don’t forget the best player on your team tore his ACL and he still won’t be back for a while.  In this league, sometimes a singular player can unlock the rest of your roster’s potential, and that’s what Riqui Puig does for the LA Galaxy.  I will say this: defensively, they’ve leaked in goals at a rate nobody has kept up with.  48 goals conceded in 24 games is quite the record.  Good news is they’re in good form as of late, and the record San Jose set last year of 78 goals against for the season would take some real tough times to reach. Galaxy fans, keep riding the wave of last year’s dominance until a new Champion is unveiled a few months down the road, then get back to the expectations and higher standard.