LOS ANGELES — Cristian “Chicho” Arango returned to BMO Stadium ready to celebrate for the first time since winning the MLS Cup with the Los Angeles Football Club.
The 28-year-old Colombian, who led LAFC in scoring for two seasons prior to being transferred in February, settled for receiving his championship ring and nothing else as his old teammates dismantled his new ones, 4-0, to advance to the quarterfinals of the Leagues Cup.
Following a hat trick during LAFC’s 7-1 victory over FC Juarez last week, Denis Bouanga scored twice more on Tuesday, prompting a four-goal outburst by the Black & Gold.
Homegrown forward Nathan Ordaz also scored in back-to-back games, giving him two goals in his LAFC career.
Recent addition Filip Krastev, a 21-year-old Bulgarian midfielder, closed out the scoring after entering the match for Bouanga in the 70th minute.
LAFC next hosts Mexican giants C.F. Monterrey on Friday night at the Rose Bowl as the tournament, which began with all 47 MLS and Liga MX teams in contention, is down to eight.
Intent on grabbing control of the match from the outset, LAFC pushed RSL for the first 15 minutes.
Starting in place of injured LAFC captain Carlos Vela, Ordaz combined with Bouanga, Stipe Biuk and Mateusz Bogusz on crisp counter-attacks and combination plays.
RSL goalkeeper Zac MacMath stuck a leg out to deny Bouanga in the 20th minute after a terrific sequence in the box set up the French forward at pinpoint range.
That intensity waned, offering Arango and RSL chances to jump ahead.
A cross to the far post found a wide-open Andrés Gómez in the 27th minute, but the Colombian scuffed his header.
At the half-hour mark, LAFC center back Aaron Long’s poor pass created a quality chance for RSL’s leading scorer, Venezuelan forward Jefferson Savarino.
Another giveaway, this time by midfielder Ilie Sanchez, unleashed a two-on-one that was ultimately shut down when Arango entered the box.
Prior to halftime, another opportunity for Arango went awry when a volley off a cross into the middle of the box squirted off his right foot.
Arango exited the match after 80 minutes. None of his four shots hit the target.
Bouanga’s first goal came in the 52nd minute, when the first of two assists on the night from Bogusz, a ball over the top of the RSL defense from 40 yards away, found LAFC’s leading scorer running in stride.
Bouanga headed the ball down, took a touch to his right and beat MacMath with a hard shot into the lower left corner of the goal.
Four minutes later, Bouanga took the ball off the foot of defender Justen Glad and all alone in the box hammered it into the back of the net.
Ordaz scored just after the 1-hour mark as he sprinted toward the net to reach a cross from Diego Palacios.
Krastev, free to shoot off a short pass by Bogusz, calmly beat MacMath at the near post in the 84th minute.
More to come on this story.