The grin began modestly but spread across Steven Moreira’s face as he stood on the sidelines at Lower.com Field last December, fielding questions from reporters the day before one of the biggest matches of his career.
When asked about facing LAFC’s formidable attack in the 2023 MLS Cup final, Moreira didn’t hesitate to single out one particular threat.
“Yeah,” Moreira quipped, “especially Denis Bouanga. Just kick him!”
Whether Moreira actually got away with roughing up his friend during their clash for the MLS Cup Golden Boot winner remains unclear. What is clear, however, is that Moreira wasn’t penalized for a single foul during a masterful performance that helped secure Columbus Crew’s third league title, dethroning the reigning champs from Los Angeles.
“Moreira’s ability to contain Bouanga while still contributing as a right-sided center back/hybrid midfielder was exceptional,” noted MLSsoccer.com’s Ben Wright in his player ratings, awarding Moreira an 8.5/10 for being “nearly flawless defensively while maintaining his attacking impact.”
Despite Bouanga scoring a goal in the 74th minute, narrowing Columbus’ lead to 2-1 and setting up a tense finale, Moreira’s performance was widely praised. It’s rare for a defender to receive such acclaim even when his marked opponent finds the net, a testament to Bouanga’s quality and Moreira’s effective execution of his defensive duties.
Friendly banter filled their on-field battle, unseen in the statistics or ratings.
“Before the game, we were bantering,” Moreira recounted to MLSsoccer.com this week. “He said, ‘I’ll do this and that to you,’ and I replied in kind. He was confident he would score and that they would win. It was all in good spirits.”
“After the game,” he added, “we spoke briefly. He was understandably disappointed, but I knew he would bounce back this season.”
Their next encounter will be in Saturday’s cup final rematch at LAFC’s BMO Stadium, a highly anticipated fixture of Matchday 26 (10:30 pm ET | Apple TV – Free). Amidst the constellation of star names and key contributors, this left winger vs. right center back duel could again prove decisive.
“I had intense battles with Steven,” Bouanga reflected in French to MLSsoccer.com this week. “We both tried a lot of one-on-ones. He was also ready to move forward, but he also had to follow the instructions to mark me. It was a good duel. It’s going to be a great rematch, a chance for revenge for either of us.”
“That’s my brother”
Their face-off in the championship marked a memorable chapter in a relationship that dates back nearly a decade, when Moreira and Bouanga played together for FC Lorient in France’s Ligue 2, often combining on the right flank for Les Merlus (The Hakes) during the 2017-18 season.
“We were always together,” Moreira recalled fondly. “I played right back and he played right winger, so we linked up a lot, enjoyed ourselves a lot. He’s like a brother to me.”
“Either you follow me or you follow Denis, so it’s tough to defend against us,” he chuckled.
Their bond extended beyond the pitch, staying in touch after parting ways. Bouanga moved on to Nîmes and Moreira to Toulouse.
“For me, playing with Steven was magical. We got along so well on and off the field,” Bouanga reminisced. “He was an excellent player. He played on the right, so sometimes I would move to the right to play directly with him. When we won, we celebrated together on and off the field.”
“It was a strong bond, and now that he’s in MLS, we message each other more. That’s what makes him a really good friend.”
MLS Reunion
Moreira, who joined the Crew in August 2021, played a role in convincing Bouanga to join LAFC a year later, a late-summer addition that helped propel LAFC to an MLS Cup-Supporters’ Shield double.
“When I first arrived here, he asked me a lot about MLS, and I told him, ‘I know your quality. You’ll have plenty of opportunities here, so you’ll definitely enjoy it,'” Moreira recalled.
“MLS is more open than Europe. In Europe, it’s more tactical; here, every team attacks, which suits both me and Denis because we love to attack. I knew Denis’ quality, so I told him, ‘You’ll really enjoy it because the league is very, very good. You’ll be surprised.'”
In a way, Moreira was repaying Bouanga for some valuable advice. After representing France at the youth international level, including a runner-up finish at the 2013 UEFA U-19 European Championship alongside stars like Adrien Rabiot and Anthony Martial, Moreira found himself excluded from the senior squad.
His Cape Verdean roots gave him the option to switch allegiance to the African island nation, but he hesitated due to concerns about adapting to a new team and culture, and the lengthy travel involved. He turned to Bouanga, who had already made a similar move by joining Gabon’s national team, his father’s homeland.
“He spoke to me about it because I was playing with the French national team when I was young, taking every step with France. I was a bit scared and unsure,” Moreira recalled. “He had already made the move, so he told me, ‘You have to go. It’s something very special and amazing.’ And he was right.
“Just like I was right about coming to MLS, he was right about joining the national team. That’s why he trusts me when I tell him he should come here.”
