Dennis Bouanga says he does not rule out the possibility of returning to Europe after Los Angeles FC suffered a 2-1 loss to Columbus Crew in the MLS Cup on Saturday.
First half goals from Cucho and Ghana’s Yaw Yeboah were more than enough to hand Columbus their third MLS Cup and denied LAFC the chance to defend the title they won last year when they saw off the Philadelphia Union on penalties.
Bouanga scored LAFC’s consolation goal which was his 38th goals in all competitions this year, a record he tied with teammate Carlos Vela for most goals in a calendar year.
The 29-year-old joined LAFC from French side Saint-Etienne last August and has been happy with his time in Los Angeles so far.
“I am really happy to have played for a year and a half here, to get to know MLS, to get to know Concacaf,” Bouanga told the MLS website.
“And I’m not saying anything ahead of time, but I’m really happy to have played here. I think LAFC is a great institution and after a year and a half, it’s been really good.
“It’s a possibility [leaving LAFC], yeah. I leave that to the other people, even if I have a few years left on my contract here. I just have to say that I’m really happy at LAFC, very happy here.
“But yeah, it’s a possibility I have to return to Europe. I let the club and my agents figure all of that stuff out. But as I said, I’m very honored to have worn this jersey and to have played for this institution here.”
Dénis Bouanga pull one back!
15 minutes left with all to play for.#CLBvLAFC 2-1 pic.twitter.com/RFRz1wptn2— LAFC (@LAFC) December 9, 2023
LAFC’s loss was their third in a final this year after losing the Leagues Cup to Inter Miami and the CONCACAF Champions League to Mexican outfit Leon. Bouanga reflecting on that reality was disappointed but stressed on the need for his team to remain consistent.
“It’s three finals that we lost this year, I left everything out there because it was really important for me to win this game,” he stated.
“It’s really hard to get to the final and always be losing in the finals. But it’s very important for the team to continue to be consistent in what the team is doing, because LA really is a very important team.
“It’s very important to always continue being in the final, and hopefully we’ll be winning more finals.”
