LAFC: Denis Bouanga named Player of the Matchday | OneFootball

By Jaime Uribarri

Player of the Matchday 6: Denis Bouanga

LAFC forward Denis Bouanga went on an offensive tear to claim MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob ULTRA honors for Matchday 6.

Bouanga scored an eight-minute hat trick (20', 23', 28') and added an assist as the Black & Gold cruised to a 6-0 rout of Orlando City at BMO Stadium.  

The Gabon international's hat trick was the third-fastest in MLS history and his fifth in regular-season play, good for second-best all-time behind Josef Martínez (seven). 

Bouanga helped LAFC remain the only unbeaten team of the 2026 MLS season. The Black & Gold lead the league in points (16), goal differential (+14), and goals allowed (zero). 

LAFC are also the first club in MLS history not to concede a goal over the opening six games of a season.

Bouanga is now a five-time MLS Player of the Matchday recipient, which is third-most among active players. Only Inter Miami CF's Lionel Messi (13) and Nashville SC's Hany Mukhtar (eight) have won the award more times. 

Bouanga and LAFC host LIGA MX's Cruz Azul on Tuesday in Leg 1 of their Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal series (10 pm ET | FS2, TUDN). 

They'll return to league action on Saturday with a visit to the Portland Timbers in MLS Matchday 7 (4:30 pm ET | Apple TV, FOX).

The MLS Player of the Matchday is selected each matchday of the regular season through both media and fan voting in a process conducted by MLS Communications. A panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) comprises 75 percent of the vote, while an Instagram fan vote represents the remaining 25 percent of voting. NASR consists of members of print, television, radio, and online media.