NEW YORK (Monday, April 6, 2026) – LAFC forward Denis Bouanga was voted the Major League Soccer Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob ULTRA for Matchday 6 of the 2026 MLS season.
Bouanga scored three goals within the first 28 minutes of the match and also added an assist in LAFC’s dominant 6-0 win over Orlando City SC at BMO Stadium (Watch Highlights From His Performance Here). The Gabonese international’s hat trick in the first 28 minutes was the fourth-fastest in MLS history from the start of a match. Additionally, his three goals in a nine-minute span (20’, 23’, and 28’) were tied for the third-fastest hat trick in league history. Bouanga now has five hat tricks in his MLS regular season career, which is tied for the second-most in MLS history, trailing only Josef MartÃnez (seven). Bouanga is now up to 99 regular-season goal contributions (69 goals, 30 assists) in his first 107 games.
Through the opening six games of the season, LAFC leads MLS in points (16), goal differential (plus-14), and goals conceded (zero). Their 14 goals scored are also tied for the second most, trailing only Vancouver Whitecaps FC (17). The Black and Gold are the only unbeaten team left in the league and are the first club in MLS history not to concede a goal within the opening six games to begin a season.
After LAFC took an early 1-0 lead, forward Son Heung-Min found Bouanga on the counterattack and he did the rest with a delicate chip over the Orlando City goalkeeper to make it 2-0 in the 20th minute (Watch Here). Just three minutes later, Bouanga cut in on his right foot and lasered a shot into the corner of the net for his brace (Watch Here). The 2025 MLS Best XI selection completed his first-half hat trick in the 28th minute by finishing off a clever passing combination with Son to give LAFC a 4-0 lead (Watch Here). Bouanga was not done yet as he played in Son with a delicate pass before the South Korean superstar picked out Sergi Palencia who added the club’s fifth before the end of the first half (Watch Here).
This is the fifth time Bouanga has been named MLS Player of the Matchday, with his last Player of the Matchday honor coming on Matchday 35 of 2025. Among active MLS players, Bouanga’s five Player of the Matchday awards are the third-most in the league, behind only Lionel Messi (13) and Hany Mukhtar (eight).
Bouanga and LAFC next host Cruz Azul in Leg 1 of the Concacaf Champions Cup Quarterfinals on Tuesday night (10 p.m. ET, FS2) before traveling to face the Portland Timbers on Saturday, April 11 (4:30 p.m. ET, MLS on Apple TV and FOX).
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.
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