Denis Bouanga 2023 Black LAFC Home Jersey

I like to think every now and then about what is the crown jewel of my collection. The jersey that if there were a house fire and you could only grab one jersey when running out of the house, which one would it be. I’ve got a few that I’m in between, but this one is right near the top. A game used jersey from the 2023 season of the 2023 Golden Boot winner, Denis Bouanga.

Denis is one of my favorite players that I’ve ever seen in MLS. And maybe even in soccer in general. He seems to operate and see the game at a pace that few can or ever have been able to. In 2023 LAFC were not that great offensively. Everyone knew the plan, get it to Bouanga on the counter and let him cook. Everyone knew it, and still no one could stop it. Not even the best defense in MLS that season the Seattle Sounders could stop it during the Western Conference Finals at home in Seattle. Denis carried LAFC to the MLS Cup Final.

So when his jersey popped up on the Kick Childhood Cancer auction, I was bound and determined to get it. I had a sneaking suspicion that it was going to quickly surpass my budget and sell for well over $1k however. I mean the guy was 2nd in MVP voting and bagged 20 regular season goals, making himself the Golden Boot winner. Imagine my surprise when I took it home for less than half of what I thought it was going to sell for! Meanwhile, guys like Giakoumakis and Klauss went for triple and Cucho went for double!

The LAFC home jersey, designed and released in 2022, features an art deco design celebrating the teams 5 years in the league. Overall, not my cup of tea, but it does have a Hollywood/LA feel to the design which is what they were going for I’m sure.

The beautiful golden LAFC logo is a nice look, but the real “star” of the show in the picture is the star above the crest. Silver with a white border, this star represents the MLS Cup Final win over the Philadelphia Union in the 2022 season. I am convinced that game is the greatest soccer game of all time.

Also celebrating the 2022 MLS Cup Final win is the MLS logo with the MLS Cup on the left sleeve.

Also gracing the front of the jersey is the yellow cancer ribbon worn by players during the month of September.

The collar of the shirt features Shoulder To Shoulder; a statement used as an early rally cry to unite supporters and a reference to building the Club together through community and city partners.

The back of the jersey really pops with the golden numbers on the black jersey. And the signature in gold as well really brings it all home. Again, not a huge fan of the art deco pattern and the design spilling out onto the back of the sleeves really clashes for me.

Game use on this kit included a few small pulls, but nothing major. However upon further inspection, there is some nice rubbing off of the numbers on this jersey that would indicate use and/or mulitple washes.

There were only 2 home games in the month of September for LAFC. So this jersey was likely worn during either the home loss to Inter Miami (yes Messi played) or a 4-2 win against the LA Galaxy, a game in which Bouanga scored 2 goals.

Overall this is one of my favorite jerseys. Not because of the design (which I feel is subpar to average at best) but because of the player that it’s from and the history behind it. Denis Bouanga scored 38 goals during the 2023 season, tying the record for most goals in a calendar year in MLS (a record he now shares with his fellow 2023 teammate Carlos Vela). Denis simply tore the league up. He appeared in 48 competitions, 44 of those were starts, and playing JUST under 4000 minutes.

Simply put, the dude put together one of the best seasons in MLS history in 2023. Being able to own a piece of that history is still something that kind of shocks me, especially with him being one of my favorite players to ever play in MLS. So is it the crowned jewel of my collection? Possibly. Thankfully though, I don’t actually have to chose.