The New York Red Bulls travel to BMO Stadium this week to face a high-flying Los Angeles FC side, and head coach Michael Bradley has made no secret of where his tactical priorities lie: stopping Denis Bouanga.

Bradley's Red Bulls head into the clash fresh from a goalless draw against the Seattle Sounders — a result that ended a 22-match streak of conceding at least one goal across all competitions, the longest such run for the club since a 34-match stretch spanning 1999 and 2000. Despite that rare clean sheet, NYRB sit just outside the postseason places and face a stern test against an LAFC side currently third in the Western Conference.

Bouanga has been the driving force behind LAFC's campaign, scoring 12 goals in 23 league appearances this season. The Gabon international found the net again during LAFC's 2-2 draw with Real Salt Lake last weekend and has a proven record against NYRB, having scored twice in his only previous MLS outing against them.

"It's a really good team," Bradley said of LAFC. "A lot of really good players. Bouanga has been one of the best players in the league for a long time now. His ability to make a difference at any moment — he can score goals, set up goals, and even in a game that can go along in a way where it doesn't seem like he is doing that much or is that involved, he can change the game at a moment's notice. We for sure have to understand how to make the game really hard on him."

Bradley also highlighted the partnership Bouanga has formed with Son Heung-min, who has been equally influential. Since the World Cup break, Bouanga (six) and Son (five) have scored 11 of LAFC's 13 regular-season goals. Against RSL, both players recorded a goal and an assist, underlining their combined threat.

"Obviously, Son [Heung-min], his career, his experience, his quality speaks for itself, and so he has been a really important guy for them as well," Bradley added. "The list of good players in that team goes on. So we're excited by the challenge of going to play in that stadium against them, and we're going to be ready to be at our best."

LAFC's defensive concerns

Despite their attacking prowess, LAFC have struggled for results in recent weeks. Marc dos Santos' side have drawn three straight matches and are winless in six MLS games (D4 L2), matching their second-longest winless streak in club history.

LAFC twice failed to hold onto their lead at America First Field against RSL. Bouanga gave them a 14th-minute lead, and Son restored their advantage at 2-1 seven minutes before the break, but Saba Lobjanidze and Noel Caliskan hit back for the hosts to ensure a share of the spoils.

"Sometimes the game was a little bit too open," Dos Santos admitted. "It benefited us more in the offensive phase, but it was sometimes difficult in the defensive phase. We have to be more compact at moments. When you don't score the third goal and you kind of leave it open, RSL at home, you know... So that part was tough."

Players to watch

LAFC – Denis Bouanga: No player has scored more goals for LAFC this season than Bouanga. Helped by his partnership with Son, the duo has been virtually unstoppable since the World Cup break, with only six other MLS players scoring 5+ goals in that timeframe.

NYRB – Julian Bazan: Bazan won five tackles against Seattle, the most by any NYRB player in an MLS match this season. The midfielder, who made his MLS debut on May 23, is the only NYRB player with 4+ tackles won in a match during the 2026 regular season.

Match prediction

Despite their current winless run, LAFC are unbeaten in three straight meetings against NYRB (W2 D1), with all three of those matches taking place in Los Angeles. After losing their first-ever encounter 2-1 on the road in 2018, LAFC have turned the series firmly in their favour.

Opta gives LAFC a 62.8% probability of victory, with a draw at 19.7% and an NYRB win at 17.5%.