As they've done repeatedly since joining forces, Son Heung-Min and Denis Bouanga answered the call, combining to set up Nathan Ordaz's winning goal on a classic LAFC counterattack to secure a 2-1 victory in Game 1 of their Best-of-3 Series.
Dynamic duo delivers
Since Son's August arrival for the Black & Gold, he and Bouanga have scored goals at a staggering clip, including 19 of LAFC's last 22 entering the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs.
Neither got on the scoresheet on Wednesday night. But the pair still found a way to make the decisive impact in the match, fueling the ruthless counter that ended with Ordaz's game-winning tap-in.
"Without finishing plays tonight, the two of them were still dangerous and created a lot of dangerous moments," head coach Steve Cherundolo said of Son and Bouanga's on-field partnership.
"They attract attention, which allows us to get ... other players in the box too. That's what you need to break down a deep block and to really step up the pressure on the opponent."
Homegrown hero
Thinking he was potentially offside after tapping in Bouanga's deflected shot at the back post, Ordaz immediately threw his hands on his head, admittedly making him "look guilty" in the moment.
Thankfully for the 21-year-old, he had luck on his side after his recent engagement and was narrowly ruled onside for one of the biggest goals of his blossoming career. The strike ensured LAFC avoided a penalty-kick shootout after a first-half own goal created by veteran defender Ryan Hollingshead was canceled out by a 63rd-minute equalizer from Austin's Jon Gallagher.
"I didn't know if I was onside or not, so I was just like, 'Wow, everyone is going to hate me if we end up losing in PKs,'" Ordaz joked. "Thank God it wasn't [offside]. Huge sense of relief.
"Having to defend those two guys [Son and Bouanga], they finally think, 'Oh, maybe we've got it down to defend two guys' and then a third guy adds on and all of a sudden it's a whole reset button on trying to figure out how to stop the forwards."
The 79th-minute winner represented a full-circle moment for LAFC's homegrown forward. Ordaz just signed a contract extension with the club in the last two weeks, a distinction he coincidentally shares with Hollingshead.
"I think it's the most important [goal I've scored] as of right now," Ordaz affirmed. "I've been part of the team that won the championship. That was my first year, but I didn't really help. Helping in playoffs means a lot."
Sweep scenario
In the regular season, Austin beat LAFC 1-0, home and away, to complete the league double over their Western Conference foes.
Now, the Black & Gold aim to have the last laugh on Sunday in Austin by potentially ending the Verde's season at Q2 Stadium (8:45 pm ET | MLS Season Pass, Apple TV; FS1, FOX Deportes).
"You want to be here in front of our fans at BMO. There's no place we'd rather be, but we're happy to do whatever we need to go win a Cup," said Hollingshead. "If you boil it down to three [or] four games is what it takes to get to an MLS Cup, we feel very confident we can go anywhere and win on the road and do what we need to do.
"Playoff football is just different, man. There's just something about it that it doesn't matter where you are, we'll bring our best. I think LAFC at its best is a team that nobody wants to see."
Should LAFC advance in Game 2, Wednesday's victory could be Cherundolo's final game at BMO Stadium as he prepares to return to Germany at the conclusion of the season – something the manager himself realized for the first time just this morning.
"We had the experience to win at home, and it would be complete to have that experience away," Cherundolo said. "We haven't been able to raise a trophy away from home. We've had a few opportunities. That would be amazing."
