LAFC Forward Denis Bouanga Voted MLS Player of the Matchday Presented by Michelob ULTRA for Matchday 18
Published on July 26, 2026 under Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release
NEW YORK - LAFC forward Denis Bouanga was voted the Major League Soccer Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob ULTRA for Matchday 18 of the 2026 MLS season.
Bouanga scored twice and added an assist in a convincing 4-0 win over Sporting Kansas City in LAFC's second home match following the FIFA World Cup break (Watch Highlights From His Performance Here). With two goals in the win, Bouanga reached 75 for his MLS regular-season career, becoming the 39th player in MLS history to do so and just one of four active players in the league. Bouanga, along with Son Heung-Min, has now scored in all three games that LAFC has played since returning from the FIFA World Cup break last week. This was the 16th time Bouanga has scored multiple goals in a regular-season game and he now has four consecutive seasons with at least 10 regular-season goals.
After Son scored the opening goal of the match, Bouanga doubled the advantage in the 37th minute, latching on to a long pass and poking his finish past the Kansas City goalkeeper. He then played provider in first-half stoppage time, locating David Martínez, who added LAFC's third goal of the match. Bouanga added his second goal five minutes from full time with a terrific finish to seal the 4-0 victory.
This is the sixth time Bouanga has been named MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob ULTRA and the second time this season (Matchday 6). Among active MLS players, Bouanga's six Player of the Matchday awards are the third-most in the league, behind only Lionel Messi (14) and Hany Mukhtar (nine).
Bouanga and LAFC next face Vancouver in a clash of Western Conference powers this Saturday, August 1, at BC Place (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS on Apple TV).
The MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob ULTRA 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.
2026 MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob ULTRA Winners
Matchday Player Club
Matchday 1 Julian Hall Red Bull New York
Matchday 2 Lionel Messi Inter Miami CF
Matchday 3 Wiki Carmona CF Montréal
Matchday 4 Petar Musa FC Dallas
Matchday 5 Sam Surridge Nashville SC
Matchday 6 Denis Bouanga LAFC
Matchday 7 Rafael Navarro Colorado Rapids
Matchday 8 Lionel Messi Inter Miami CF
Matchday 9 Tai Baribo D.C. United
Matchday 10 Timo Werner San Jose Earthquakes
Matchday 11 Martín Ojeda Orlando City SC
Matchday 12 Hannes Wolf New York City FC
Matchday 13 Julian Hall Red Bull New York
Matchday 14 Hany Mukhtar Nashville SC
Matchday 15 Evander FC Cincinnati
Matchday 16 and 17 Luis Suárez Inter Miami CF
Matchday 18 Denis Bouanga LAFC
Major League Soccer Stories from July 26, 2026
- LAFC Forward Denis Bouanga Voted MLS Player of the Matchday Presented by Michelob ULTRA for Matchday 18 - MLS
- Suárez Named to MLS Team of the Matchday - Inter Miami CF
- LA Galaxy Goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski Named to MLS Team of the Matchday for Matchday 18 - LA Galaxy
- Frankie Westfield Earns First Career MLS Team of the Matchday Honor - Philadelphia Union
- Attackers Mateusz Bogusz and Guilherme Named to MLSSoccer.com Team of the Matchday After Standout Performances in Victory over Texas Rivals - Houston Dynamo FC
- Timbers Forward Felipe Mora Named to MLS Team of the Matchday - Portland Timbers
- Earthquakes Defender Reid Roberts Selected to MLS Team of the Matchday - San Jose Earthquakes
- Injury Update: Germán Berterame - Inter Miami CF
- San Diego FC Defeats FC Dallas, 1-0, at Snapdragon Stadium - San Diego FC
- Sporting KC Suffers 4-0 Defeat at LAFC - Sporting Kansas City
- Reid Roberts' Second-Half Goal Allows Quakes to Keep Pace on Points with First-Place Vancouver - San Jose Earthquakes
- Galaxy Earn Point on the Road in 105th California Clásico - LA Galaxy
- LAFC Extends Winning Streak to Four; Beats Sporting Kansas City, 4-0 - Los Angeles FC
- Timbers Defeat Real Salt Lake, 2-1, at Providence Park - Portland Timbers
- Real Salt Lake Falls, 2-1, at Portland to Suffer Back-To-Back Road Losses - Real Salt Lake
- Suárez Winner Secures Sixth Consecutive Victory for Inter Miami CF - Inter Miami CF
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