LAFC, LA Galaxy Draw 2-2 in Wild El Tráfico as Paintsil Brace Meets Bouanga Comeback

With the last kick of a ridiculous night, Denis Bouanga swept a Tyler Boyd overhead kick into the net, and for a moment LAFC had a winner. Then came the offside call. Aaron Long had strayed offside in the buildup, the goal came off the board, and the 28th edition of El Tráfico ended exactly the way it deserved to: tied, chaotic and nobody fully satisfied.

LAFC and the LA Galaxy drew 2-2 on Sunday night, a result that clinched a playoff berth for LAFC after the hosts clawed back from a 2-0 hole. Joseph Paintsil scored twice for the Galaxy, Bouanga and Leo Walta answered nine minutes apart, and the Galaxy left their crosstown rivals' building with a point that keeps them hanging on to a playoff spot. There was no winner, but there was more than enough drama.

Paintsil Steals the Opening Act

LAFC thought they had the lead in the 28th minute. Bouanga's shot hit the crossbar, Son Heung-Min buried the rebound, and then the night stalled for a lengthy video review. Bouanga was ruled offside and the goal was wiped out.

Six minutes later, the Galaxy punished the hosts. Robert Taylor stole the ball in midfield and charged down the right before squaring it low, and Paintsil arrived at the far post to finish first time. Taylor nearly made it 2-0 himself with a header that missed narrowly in the 38th minute, and Armindo Sieb dragged a shot just wide for LAFC two minutes later. The Galaxy went into halftime 1-0 up.

LAFC brought on Mathieu Choinière for Igor Jesus at the break, but the Galaxy struck again in the 51st minute. Hugo Lloris could only parry Erik Thommy's shot from the left side of the box, and Paintsil buried the loose ball from close range. Two shots on target, two goals. Clinical.

Two Goals in Nine Minutes

The lead lasted two minutes. Sieb let fly from outside the box, JT Marcinkowski saved it, and Bouanga was there first to finish the rebound. It was his 18th goal of the season, and suddenly the building had its voice back.

LAFC swarmed. Between the 57th and 60th minutes, Sieb, Long and Ryan Porteous all had shots blocked and Sergi Palencia headed over from close range. In the 62nd minute, the pressure finally broke the Galaxy. Son's delivery from the left took a touch off one Galaxy defender, a second one failed to clear, and Walta jabbed it past Marcinkowski from point-blank range. According to LAFC, it was his second goal in as many games.

Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said the priority shifted toward protecting the result soon after it went 2-0, and he eventually sent on Jakob Glesnes for Paintsil in the 73rd minute. Glesnes later left injured and was replaced by Maya Yoshida in the 90th. The final half hour mostly belonged to LAFC: Bouanga forced a save from Marcinkowski in the 85th minute, and in seven minutes of stoppage time Sieb and Boyd were blocked, Long missed just wide, and Bouanga's late finish was erased.

Stars Who Showed Up

Joseph Paintsil made his return to the starting lineup count. He put both of his shots on target and scored twice, and the Galaxy said those were his sixth and seventh regular-season goals of the year. He framed the run-in bluntly afterward. "It's a do or die situation for us. We have to win those two games," Paintsil said, according to the LA Galaxy.

Denis Bouanga remains the Galaxy's personal nightmare. Beyond his 18th of the season, LAFC said it was his 10th goal in 10 regular-season meetings with the Galaxy, tying Carlos Vela for the most regular-season goals in the history of the rivalry. He also fired four shots and had a would-be winner ruled out. "We can do something in the playoffs for sure. Some teams don't want to play against us," Bouanga said, according to MLS.

Son Heung-Min had a goal disallowed and supplied the cross behind Walta's equalizer. MLS noted his 15 assists this season are tied for the league lead with Lionel Messi and Evander.

Armindo Sieb took five shots, and his effort created the rebound for Bouanga. On the other side, Robert Taylor set up the opener, which the Galaxy counted as his fifth goal contribution in the club's last six matches, and Marcinkowski made three saves.

The Turning Point

Bouanga's 53rd-minute goal changed everything. At 2-0, the Galaxy had a chance to turn El Tráfico into a statement road win. The quick reply flipped the energy in the stadium, pinned the visitors back and forced Vanney into damage control. Within nine minutes, it was level.

"This isn't an easy place to come and take three. It's disappointing because we were in position to do so," Vanney said, per the LA Galaxy.

Stats That Matter

• Shots: LAFC outshot the Galaxy 21-10, with five on target to the Galaxy's four.
• Corners: LAFC earned 12 corners. The Galaxy had one.
• Possession: LAFC held 57.4 percent of the ball.
• Blocked shots: Nine LAFC attempts were blocked, which explains how the Galaxy survived the late siege.
• Crosses: LAFC sent in 25 crosses and completed only three.

What It Means

LAFC move to 12-11-9 (wins, draws, losses) with 47 points and, according to LAFC, sit sixth in the Western Conference with two games remaining, one point behind Houston and San Jose for fourth. The AP reported this is LAFC's eighth playoff trip in their nine seasons. They are unbeaten in four, and interim head coach Xavi Tamarit is still unbeaten in charge, per the club. "I want to say that I am very proud of the team, how we overcame a really difficult situation," Tamarit said, according to MLS.

The Galaxy are 10-11-11 with 41 points and ninth in the West, per the AP, and unbeaten in their last three. LAFC took the season series after a 3-0 win in July, and the club says the all-time series is now level at 10 wins apiece with eight draws.

The Closing Take

El Tráfico keeps playing out like a prestige-TV season finale: everybody gets a big scene, the plot twists arrive in the final minute, and nobody gets the ending they wanted. Long summed it up best. "I think tonight was not the result that we wanted in terms of a tie, but some ties feel better than others," the LAFC captain said, according to MLS.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by MLSsoccer.com and the LA Galaxy. Additional details from LAFC, the LA Galaxy and The Associated Press via ESPN.