Bouanga Ballin’ in Leagues Cup
After advancing to the quarterfinals of Leagues Cup 2023 and the final of Leagues Cup 2024, the Los Angeles Football Club enters this year’s edition of the tournament with its eyes set on lifting the trophy. Behind LAFC’s success in Leagues Cup has been forward Denis Bouanga, who has scored a tournament-best 12 goals across the last two competitions, including six in 2024.
Bouanga and Inter Miami CF’s Lionel Messi (10 goals) are the only two players in the current iteration of Leagues Cup to score more than 10 goals in tournament play. All of Messi’s 10 goals game in the 2023 edition of the tournament, as he took home Top Scorer and Best Player accolades in his first competition in an Miami uniform.
The most goals scored by a player in Leagues Cup history:
Jordi Alba Dropping Dimes
Since joining the Herons in the summer of 2023, Inter Miami CF’s Jordi Alba has played a large role in the club’s Leagues Cup success. With seven assists, Alba is the all-time leading assister in the current iteration of Leagues Cup, sitting two helpers ahead of LAFC’s Denis Bouanga, Nashville’s Hany Muktar, and former Columbus Crew forward Cucho Hernández, who have each recorded five assists in Leagues Cup play. Alba had one of the key performances in Leagues Cup 2024, recording four assists in the club’s 4-3 victory over Toronto FC on August 8.
Alba will look to help guide Inter Miami to its second Leagues Cup title, as the club opens play against Atlas on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET), before taking on Necaxa (Saturday, August 2, 7 p.m. ET) and Pumas UNAM (Wednesday, August 6, 7:30 p.m. ET) in Phase One.
Please note: While featuring Major League Soccer clubs, Leagues Cup does not officially track second assists, as is the norm in MLS play.
The most assists by a player in Leagues Cup history:
Mateusz Bogusz Looks to Impress on Opposite Side
Only three players in the history of Leagues Cup have contributed to at least 10 goals in the current tournament format: LAFC’s Denis Bouanga (17 goal contributions), Columbus’ Cucho Hernández (12), and Miami’s Lionel Messi (11). All three of these players have advanced to at least one Leagues Cup final across the last two years.
Cruz Azul midfielder Mateusz Bogusz will be making his first Leagues Cup appearance on the LIGA MX side, after starring in the least two editions of the tournament for the Los Angeles Football Club. Bogusz, who had previously arrived at LAFC in March 2023 from Leeds United, recorded four goals and four assists in 10 previous Leagues Cup matches and sits in a tie for the fourth-most contributions in the tournament’s history.
The most goal contributions by a player in Leagues Cup history:
