LAFC's Dénis Bouanga wins 2023 MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi

LAFC forward Dénis Bouanga has won the 2023 MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi after scoring 20 goals, using a late-season surge to become the league’s top scorer.

Bouanga, who also contributed seven assists, beat out FC Cincinnati’s Luciano Acosta (17 goals) and Atlanta United's Giorgos Giakoumakis (17 goals) for the award. The Gabon international is the third Black & Gold player to win the honor in the last five years, following Diego Rossi in 2020 and Carlos Vela in 2019.

Bouanga’s goal-scoring prowess helped LAFC finish 3rd in the Western Conference, setting up a Round One Best-of-3 series vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Now, they’ll look to become the fourth team in league history to win consecutive MLS Cups, with this year’s final set for Dec. 9.

While the Golden Boot only considers MLS goals, the midseason 2022 signing was electric during other competitions as well. The 28-year-old Designated Player scored 13 goals in 11 games across Leagues Cup and Concacaf Champions Cup, including four hat-tricks.

Bouanga joins the pantheon of players to win the Golden Boot, which has been awarded since the league's inaugural season in 1996.

From 1996-2004, it was awarded under a points-based system that gave two points for a goal and one for an assist, before switching to outright goals. Check out the full list of Golden Boot winners below.