Defenders of the Banc - The LAFC Podcast

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LAFC played well enough to win for a full 94 minutes and about 45 seconds. But in what has become a microcosm of the 2021 season, LAFC gave up a game-tying goal in the 5th minute of three minutes of stoppage time to lose two points at home and draw with visiting Minnesota, 2-2. Better late than never, it’s Episode 158, and this one was hard to put into words. But don’t worry… we did!

After a mostly lackluster first half, a moment of brilliance by Jose Cifuentes and a typically magical run by Carlos Vela gives LAFC the leads over Tyler Miller-led Minnesota United, 1-0. LAFC would lead going into the half, but lose Murillo to hamstring tightness at the 45’ mark. Just four minutes into the second half, however, the Loons would equalize through Emmanuel Reynoso.

LAFC came into the match as the only team who had yet to score via a header in 2021. Tristan Blackmon would erase that tie, and the header drought, off a corner from Eduard Atuesta in the 77’, and LAFC was supposedly home. Much like Jurassic Park, Minnesota had Dotson, and after a beautiful pass from Robin Lod, Dotson would slot one home at the tail end of the 5th minute of stoppage time. Just like that, LAFC drop two points and settle for an improbable home draw, 2-2. 

Also on this episode, we bid farewell and good luck to Mark-Anthony Kaye and Corey Baird. Two big moves for LAFC will hopefully lead to the next big thing at the club. We talk Olympic soccer, Gold Cup, New York Mets, and even a little MLR. We have a lot of fun on this one. 

We’ve got a tough test coming up from Sporting, and you better believe Filly and Scarf will be there to talk about it all, in addition to all the off-the-pitch fun that LAFC brings us week in and week out. And who knows, maybe LAFC will announce the Arongo signing by then! We’ll talk all about it next episode on 159.  

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For the third time in a week-and-a-half, the boys in Black and Gold take the pitch, this time against usual punching bags, the Vancouver Whitecaps. Despite an awful start, LAFC salvages a point, and you can hear all about it here on Episode 157 of Defenders of the Banc!

LAFC came out sluggish and sloppy, and it showed almost immediately. Forced to defend cross after cross in the first 25 minutes, Vancouver finally broke through on a Caicedo goal after some confusion between Moon-Hwan and Romero. Thirteen minutes later, the diminutive Dajome somehow rises above the rest to head one in off a free kick, and LAFC is down a pair. 

LAFC would respond, however, with Captain Carlos getting on the end of a beautiful through-ball from Eduard Atuesta to notch a goal in three straight contests. LAFC would end the half down one, but despite our play through the first 45’, we were still alive and kicking. 

Bob would make wholesale changes to start the second half, bringing on Chiqui, Corey Baird, Pancho, and Eddie Segura while changing our shape to Bob’s favorite formation, a 4-3-3. It paid dividends immediately, as LAFC controlled possession and started to both create chances on offense and shore up gaps on defense. A wonderstrike by Jose Cifuentes in the 75’ would level the match at 2. For the second time in the match, the good people over at PRO help out LAFC, waving off a goal in the 83’ by Dajome to preserve the draw. It wasn’t the result we had hoped for, but a point is better than a loss, even at home. It should be noted that this is only the third time in club history we have gone down 2+ goals to come back to preserve at least a point. 

Also on this episode, we meet Coach Beard, Dani Rojas, and Thierry Zoreaux! OMG! We get to play our favorite game from seasons past, Name That Perez, but not for a good reason at all. Beita is back, Christian Ramirez scores in Scotland, and Randy’s Donuts gets some love on This Day In LAFC History. Congrats to LAFC’s Pre-Game Show on their Emmy win!

We play yet again in 4 days, welcoming back Tyler Miller and the Minnesota United on Wednesday. Until then, enjoy Episode 157, and good luck to the US Women in Tokyo!

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LAFC faithful, there’s no easy way to say it, but the loss in Portland was awful. A goal at the outset and a goal at the death served to feed LAFC to the woodchipper in Portland, and we recap all of it here on Episode 156. 

 It was an inauspicious start for LAFC, surrendering a goal to Portland’s superstar, Diego Valeri, just two minutes in. The 100thgoal in his brilliant career immediately energized the incredible Portland crowd. LAFC would respond 15 minutes later, as Carlos lit the candle in Portland to equalize 1-1. Despite a number of solid opportunities later in the match, we would enter the 3rd of 3 minutes of second half stoppage knotted at one. Superstar turned super sub, Sebastian Blanco, found Felipe Mora for a beautiful header at the death. Portland wins, 2-1. 

 Also on this episode, it’s Filly who stumps the Scarf, Andy Najar who scores a goal (just not for his team), and Ted Lasso is one day closer. Yes, we address the rumors of Chicho Arango, while also addressing the state of our midfield without Eduard Atuesta. Oh, and Brian Rodriguez played in a match for LAFC for the first time in well over a year. 

 There’s no time to lick our wounds, however, as the boys head back to the Banc to take on Vancouver in just a few days. We will be there, our buddy Vince of 110 Football will be there, Al Raitt will be there, and so should you! Until then, enjoy Episode 156 of Defenders of the Banc.   

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LAFC is finally back at the Cathedral of the Black and Gold, 24 days since our last match at home, ready to take on Real Salt Lake for the second time in 14 days. It would be yet another win for us over Salt Lake, but this one felt much more like the LAFC of old, and you can hear all about it here on Episode 155 of Defenders of the Banc!

LAFC celebrated Pride Night in wonderful fashion, with LAFC coming out on the front foot in a hurry. 3 saves and a near miss in the first 5 minutes would be a harbinger of things to come, as a beautiful give and go from Diego Rossi to Jose Cifuentes and back to Rossi for the opener in the 10th minute! LAFC could have been up by at least two or three, but we will take the early lead, 1-0, every single time. In typical LAFC fashion, however, they give up the equalizer not long after. RSL beats the Black and Gold on the counter, with perfect passing (and a little luck) from Damir Kreilach to Everton Luiz to Aaron Herrera, and just like that, we are level. 

Scarf almost got the own goal that he predicted, Carlos banged one off the post, and Cifu somehow misses a wide open net after Kim Moon-Hwan’s moment of sheer brilliance, and LAFC enters the half tied at one. David Ochoa was special, but LAFC needed to find the winner. 

In the second half, RSL would get their first, and only, real opportunity of the half in the opening minute. It came from Kreilach, of course, but Romero, with a little help from Farfan and Murillo, was up for the task. Several near misses and another nice save from Ochoa brings us to the 58th minute, where the birthday boy, Raheem Edwards earns LAFC a present of their own, a PK off a handball from a blistering shot inside the box. However, it still wasn’t meant to be (yet!), as Ochoa dove to his left to stop a relatively innocuous attempt by Carlos Vela. Still level. 

Several subs for both sides, including the return of Chiqui Palacios in the 75th minute, take us to the 78th minute. It’s world-class finding world-class, as Kim Moon-Hwan finds Carlos Vela with an absolute pinpoint cross from at least 30 yards away. Despite Ochoa cutting off seemingly every angle, the captain shoots a laser beam over the top of Ochoa’s head and into the back of the net! Just like that, LAFC is in line for 3 points and their first three-match win streak since 2019. LAFC, despite David Ochoa’s best efforts, wins 2-1 in a match that could have just as easily been 6-1 or 7-1. It was a complete effort for LAFC. 

Also on this episode, we chat Gold Cup results for both the US and El Tri as we welcome back Brian Rodriguez into the 18. D9U releases a shoe, Tigers collab on a beer, Filly tees up Scarf perfectly as he works the GLA into the pod not once but twice (!), Dio is still without a club, and Tony Leone nets his first professional goal. It’s Scarf who rants on this episode after Filly runs down the upcoming schedule. Truly, everything is possible here on Defenders of the Banc! 

You’ll be hearing a lot of us over the course of the next few weeks, with three more matches in 10 days. And it will also be right here on Defenders of the Banc where you can hear recaps, breakdowns, and banter the night after every episode of Season 2 of Ted Lasso, starting July 23 on Apple TV! Lots of fun and lots more to come, but until then, enjoy Episode 155!

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It’s Episode 154, and it’s our maiden voyage into Austin, Texas, and to the house that Al Raitt built, Q2 Arena. LAFC continues their winning ways on the road, 2-0, behind a standout performance from Jose Cifuentes, a goal from Diego Rossi, and another clean sheet for Tomas Romero. Back-to-back road wins, and just like that, the Black and Gold ship seems to have been righted for the time being. 

 An early yellow for Austin seemed to predict tidings of doom, and in the 40th minute, doom arrived for FC Broccoli. After Stuver makes a save on Kim Moon-Hwan, the rebound finds the foot of Cifu, who deposits it, as Filly would say, in the back of the polyurethane. Though Austin controlled possession for large portions of the first half, it’s LAFC with the 1-0 lead at the half. 

 Because of a few video issues, we missed the first 13 minutes of the second half, but luckily, we still lead when the picture returns! A huge shout out to Jen over at Party Beer for working so hard to get the picture working. The teams would trade jabs back and forth throughout the remainder of the half, and like many Kenley Jansen saves, it never felt comfortable, but it kept going our way. Right before the 90’, last year’s two-time Golden Boot winner, Diego Rossi, was given plenty of space on a 1v1 run vs. Brad Stuver, and that was the ball game. The Vela-to-Rossi connection salts it away, and LAFC gets on the plane with a 2-0 win in their pocket. 

 Also on the episode, we talk about the Scarf vs. Panda Bowl, which the rest of the world apparently calls the Euro 2020 Final. It’s Italy vs. England, and it’s going to be a blast. We also talk Copa America and look forward to Brazil vs. Argentina. Closing out the episode, it’s Scarf who rants, Filly who goes over the upcoming schedule, and, according to Bob Bradley, Bruce El-Mesmari is already Black and Gold! We’ve got 10 days until 155, so until we welcome RSL to the Banc, enjoy Episode 154!

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LAFC travels to the friendly confines of Sandy, Utah to take on Real Salt Lake, and you can hear all about it here on Episode 153 of Defenders of the Banc! It’s not just any episode, however. We’ve brought along a good friend, Vince LaRosa of 110 Football, to talk all about the victory over RSL, the Euros, and anything else we came up with here on 153!

 First, the most important news, LAFC won on the road! Though we’ve been nothing short of a dumpster fire on the road lately, we do love playing in Sandy, and it showed. It was an awfully boring first half, save for a brilliant free kick from Captain Carlos off the crossbar. Was he merely practicing for the Skills Challenge? Mark-Anthony Kaye came off at just about the hour mark, in what will be his swan song before heading off to Team Canada for the Gold Cup, and on came Jose Cifuentes. After a literal dash of brilliance from Kim Moon-Hwan, a strike from Cifu puts the Black and Gold up 1-0. 

 Yes, starting keeper Tomas Romero made some amazing saves on the night, igniting a keeper controversy in the process. However, it was Eddie Segura who would make the save of the match, and maybe our young season. An El-Munir-esque back line save would preserve the margin, the victory, and the very-much-needed three points. LAFC is back above the playoff line, though not comfortably; yet all seems possible once again for our club.

 Also on the episode, did we mention we’ve got Vince? We talk Euros, his Twitter trolls, his thoughts on everything from Mark-Anthony Kaye to possession to how stats can, or cannot, define a game. We really did love sitting down with Vince, both on Episode 153 and with 110 Football on their pre- and post-match shows for this tilt at Rio Tinto. It’s almost time for Austin, but until then, enjoy Episode 153!

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LAFC travels to Children’s Mercy Park to take on Sporting Kansas City, and for about an hour, optimism reigned! Unfortunately, the match is 90 minutes long. 

 LAFC has not been great on the road this season, and the trend continued in KC. Carlos Vela would start the match on the bench, and Bob broke out a new formation, 3-5-2. A bad yellow in the 12thminute on Tristan Blackmon would be a harbinger of things to come. In the 25th, a bit of history for LAFC, as Kim Moon-Hwan becomes the first player of Korean descent to score for the Black and Gold. LAFC closes out the half playing well and heads into the locker room up a goal. 

 Coming out of the locker room, a couple of changes, as Baird and Kaye enter the match. LAFC played the first 10 minutes or so really out on the front foot. In the 57th, the Black and Gold go the boost we thought we needed, as Carlos Vela entered the match. Unfortunately, just one minute later, Tristan Blackmon would get burned by Daniel Salloi yet again, earning a red and leaving LAFC a man down for the final 30 minutes or so.

 It took Sporting just 2 minutes to level, as Alan Pulido pounces on a Marco Farfan turnover and finds the equalizer. LAFC fought incredibly hard, and they were almost able to see out the point. Unfortunately, doomed by another turnover, SKC strung together three passes to find Daniel Salloi in the box, and the point disappeared almost as quickly as Filly’s sobriety this weekend. Despite a couple of solid chances from Vela in the final 6 minutes, LAFC falls on the road and remains under the playoff line. 

 Also on this episode, Filly is super salty. Like… really salty. He rants a bit. He sings several times. He throws and drops things. And he shows yet again how much he cares for his sports teams. He is a hurting Filly right now, with his Islanders having their season shut down in Tampa (home of TGLA! If you know, you know.) and now our beloved Black and Gold back in a funk. But we love our Filly! Scarf is also on the episode. We promise. 

 Hopefully, we will have better news to report on Episode 153, but for now, we are off to the Banc to see Guatemala take on El Salvador! 

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Just days after a frustrating tie at the Banc’s rebirth, LAFC is back at home, this time to take on FC Dallas, the last place team in the West. The setting was ideal for a big win, and the Black and Gold did not disappoint! Here on Episode 151, we break down the searing performance.

 LAFC and it’s captain, Carlos Vela, wasted no time getting on the score sheet. A 4th minute goal from Vela sent the entire stadium, including the incredible 3252, into a frenzy, and Vela was finally able to shed the goose egg on the season. For the most part, it was all LAFC, all the time, though the board didn’t change. This was due to Dallas oft-platooned keeper, Jimmy Maurer, making 6 saves on the night and even getting help from the post. 

 LAFC would get the last laugh, however, as Latif Blessing scored our first “giggity goal” of the season! Carlos Vela combined with the Starman, and the VAR, to sneak past the back line of Dallas as they stopped playing and put LAFC up 2. That would be it, though it certainly felt like it could have been more. Or Maurer. 

 Also on the episode, we take a walk down Filly Sports Lane, as the boys chat about both Germany and the Islanders in the banter. And… no Tom Brady! Which all-time Yankee great does Scarf compare Jordan Harvey to? When will Filly be able to shave his playoff beard? And where oh where will the Defenders be watching the away match against Sporting? You’ll have to tune in to the entire Episode 151 to find out! See you in a few more days!

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467 days. That’s how long it had been since our last family reunion, the last game with the Banc at full capacity. Since March 2020, the world has been turned upside down: A global pandemic, changes in all our lives, and, unfortunately, many who are no longer with us. Yet, there we all were, after 467 days, back at Christmas Tree Lane, back in the stands at the Banc, and back watching our club. 

 Unfortunately, despite the full-throated support of the 3252 like we’ve rarely heard it, and the full house joining them, LAFC couldn’t hold a lead yet again, and dropped two points at home, playing to a 1-1 draw against the Houston Dynamo. Cifu put us on top, off a beautiful corner from Carlos Vela. Just 8 minutes later, however, a series of magic acts from Maxi Urruti and Fafa Picault levels the match at one. Despite far more chances, far more shots, and far more possession, and handily outplaying our opponent yet again, it’s just one point at home yet again. 

 It's Father’s Day here at Defenders, and we absolutely want to wish all the dads out there the happiest of days. Also on this episode, we look back on the epic tailgate before the match, the incredible Bob Marley tifo, Ziggy Marley as honorary falconer, and LAFC and MLS celebrating Juneteenth with beautiful uniforms, especially the keeper kit!

 On this episode, hear one of the longer Rants with Filly that we’ve heard! We reminisce fondly about Open Cup wins of seasons past, we celebrate two new countries that can be added to Defenders nation, and we highlight the relative successes of our clubs in Euro 2020. Why was Filly wearing a “We Are Marshall” t-shirt? Did Scarf mention Tom Brady on this week’s episode? And which new sponsor could the Defenders really use a relationship with? You’ll have to listen to all of Episode 150 to find out!

 Episode 150. Wow. It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating our 100th, and here we are, at 150. We are so grateful to all of Defenders Nation for your incredible support, and we can’t wait to celebrate 200 with you soon!

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It's Episode 149, and this one is a little different than most of the others. Today, Filly and Scarf have partnered with Kaiser Permanente, the provider for the Team Physicians for LAFC, to help get the word out about THREE special vaccination events coming up in the next few weeks! We sit down with fellow LAFC supporter Dr. Joseph De Sena, Family Medicine, from Kaiser Permanente's East LA Medical Offices to talk about the Covid vaccine and answer questions about Covid-19. 

On June 12, Kaiser Permanente will be hosting a FREE vaccination event at their East Los Angeles Medical Offices, and the Defenders would love to see as many of the LAFC faithful who still need to get vaccinated come out! 

The event takes place from 8:30am - 12:00pm, at the ELA Medical Offices on 5119 Pomona Blvd.  Come hang with Scarf, Dr. Joseph De Sena, and plenty of your fellow LAFC supporters! You can win a signed Carlos Vela jersey just by getting vaccinated, along with other LAFC co-branded merchandise, Defenders of the Banc swag, and more! 

A few things to know before heading out: 
The vaccine is FREE. All three types (Pfizer, Moderna, and J&J) will be available.
All you need is a photo ID with your BIRTHDATE.
Your medical insurance status DOES NOT MATTER.
Your immigration status DOES NOT MATTER.
All people ages 12 and up are eligible for the vaccine. 

See you in East LA on the 12th!

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