Defenders of the Banc - The LAFC Podcast

Send us a text

LAFC comes back home to Banc of California Stadium to take on the defending MLS champs, Atlanta United, and with that comes Episode 48 of Defenders of the Banc. Fresh off the heels of a stinging defeat at Carson, the Black and Gold were looking to bounce back to their winning ways and stay ahead of the pack for our first piece of hardware, the Supporters' Shield. 

The fans were barely into their seats when Atlanta struck first, and it seemed as if the loss to their rivals last week would certainly affect the outcome of this one, too. But that was not to be! LAFC reeled off four goals in about 11 minutes of play to close the half and held on for the ride to ultimately win, 4-3, behind the play of super-sub Lee Nguyen and another goal by the future MVP Carlos Vela!

On this episode of Defenders of the Banc, re-live Carlos Vela's first All Star Game captaincy on This Day in LAFC History. On this one-hour episode, it's a pair of rants by the boys as Scarf calls out MLS's head man Don Garber for his lack of concern for player safety while Filly aims at those calling for Bob Bradley's job. We show some love for The 3252's mini tifo while looking ahead to our matchup at Gillette with the Revolution in about a week. Finally, we address the rumors surrounding the third DP spot and Uruguayan sensation Brian Rodriguez.. 

It's a jam-packed episode full of Filly and The Scarf! Or are Filly and The Scarf full of it? You decide! Thanks for listening to Defenders of the Banc!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Send us a text

Round 1 of the 2019 edition of the Battle for Los Angeles took place in Carson last night, and with that comes the newest episode of Defenders of the Banc, featuring your boys, Christian "Filly" Filimon and "The Scarf" J.R. Lebert.

It was deja vu all over again as Carson defeated the Black and Gold (and camouflage?) of LAFC, 3-2. It was a tale of two all stars. Two goals by captain Carlos Vela were not enough to secure victory, as Zlatan Ibrahimovic earned Man of the Match honors with his hat trick. It was a game full of physicality, emotion, and, ultimately, frustration for the fans of LAFC, as our inability to beat our hated rivals now stretches to four games. Tyler Miller made several tough saves to keep us in the game, Mohamed El-Munir and Lee Nguyen provided a much-needed boost to a sagging offense, and The 3252 again showed why both our team and our fans are the "Best in the West and the Best in the MLS." It proved to be too little, too late, however, as the clock ran out on LAFC in Carson with the away squad down a goal.

LAFC has no time to lick their wounds. The reigning MLS champions, Atlanta United, make their first trip to the Banc in one week. Will there be changes to the starting lineup? Will Carlos Vela be named captain of the All Star game for the second straight year? Will we ever see Alejandro Guido on the pitch? All these burning questions and more could be answered on a future episode of Defenders of the Banc!

Thanks for listening, and thanks for the support! We are all... Defenders of the Banc!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Send us a text

In this very special episode of Defenders of the Banc, Filly and The Scarf record another chapter in their "Stories from the Stadium" series! The boys were privileged enough to be invited to the Univision HQ in Westchester, CA, which is also the site of the famous YouTube TV Studios, home of all the Black and Gold pre and post-game action and so much more! 

We sit down with the voice and face of LAFC's YouTube TV coverage, "Rogo", Mark Rogondino. Mark's sports broadcasting career has touched almost every aspect of sports, especially in Southern California, including stints with the Clippers, Ducks, Galaxy, college sports, and even local CIF coverage before he found his home with LAFC. He covers every aspect of the team and has deep roots here in SoCal. 

Rogo was nice enough to sit down with us in the middle of planning and prepping for the pre-game show and coverage of our eventual 5-1 smashing of Sporting Kansas City on July 3rd. We were even briefly interrupted by the grand entrance of Max Bretos and Newcastle legend Warren Barton! We hope you enjoy this fun, 30-minute interview as much as we did, and that you stay tuned for more "Stories from the Stadium" with Filly and The Scarf!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Send us a text

Didn't we just do this?! Yes! Not even 48 hours later, our boys in Black and Gold were back in action, and this time, it counts in the MLS standings! It's time for Episode 45, our recap of LAFC's 3-1 comeback win on the road in beautiful, 91-degree Houston, Texas. 

With a lineup that featured just THREE regular starters (Tyler Miller, Steven Beitashour, and Mark-Anthony Kaye), LAFC came out looking... well... not great. An almost-goal less than a minute in was followed by an actual-goal in the third minute, and just like that, our boys had to do a Texas two-step just to get back in the game. It was Dio to the rescue, not once, but twice! Alberth Elis is STILL looking over his shoulder to see if Mohamed El-Munir is behind him after the beautiful block-from-behind, doing his best Lebron impersonation! The back line got it together enough to hold the lead until Diego Rossi netted his 11th of the season, and we won going away, 3-1.

After a one episode, depression-induced hiatus, This Day in LAFC History back with a nod to Black and Gold players of yore. The Defenders make another plug for Tyler Miller's fantastic Beach Soccer Fundraiser event for the Austen Everett Foundation, Filly rants about a Carson fan (and earns a "bleep" in the process), Scarf loses his mind over a goal by San Jose, and the boys get back to having some fun after the tough loss in Portland!

We've got some exciting news and happenings coming soon here on Defenders, but in the mean time, enjoy Episode 45 of Defenders of the Banc!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Send us a text

LAFC's run in the 2019 edition of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup has come to an end. On this episode of Defenders of the Banc, a very frustrated Filly and The Scarf recap the Black and Gold's 1-0 loss at home this season, our first loss at the Banc, to a team that we are quickly learning to hate, the Portland Timbers. 

This episode is short and full of angst, as watching LAFC crash out of the tournament has left a bad taste in the Defenders' mouths. Though San Pablo stood on his head yet again, making a few key brilliant saves, the offense was nowhere to be found at the Banc. Just one shot on goal wasn't enough, and just like that, we have to wait until at least October to earn our first piece of hardware. 

With the loss in the Open Cup, our attention turns to Houston, where, in less than 48 hours from the kickoff of this loss, we play a league game on the road against the Dynamo. While Filly extols the virtues of the man he now calls "Sinister" Sisniega, hear The Scarf's radical lineup suggestions for the upcoming game against Houston (and ONLY that game!). 

We know we share in your frustration over this loss, but it's onto the next one quickly here at Defenders. Stay tuned for another episode in just another 48 hours, as we are still the Best in the West and the Best in the MLS! 

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Send us a text

We got 4 stars! We got 4 stars!

On our latest episode of Defenders of the Banc, Panda, Scarfette, and Sweet Home Amy give you a fun-filled and highly energetic recap of the 2019 Women’s World Cup Finale in France! We give you the tactical play-by-play, talk about Rapinoe’s glory and Lavelle‘s much deserved goal, and even throw in a request for an NWSL team to (finally) come to Los Angeles. We celebrate the amazing win by the US Women’s National Team and share how you can watch the NWSL games on ESPN very soon!

With our last episode in this mini-series for the Women’s World Cup, we sign off for the last time (or maybe not?!). Hope you enjoy!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Send us a text

LAFC was back at the Banc for an MLS match for the first time on over a month, so that means the boys of Defenders of the Banc are back with another jam-packed recap episode here on the podcast! It's time for Episode 42 of Defenders of the Banc!

As we wish a very happy birthday to our newest young star, Pablo Sisniega, we recap the incredible 6-1 win over the Traveling Marc dos Santos's, the Vancouver Whitecaps. In what was certainly a change from our last encounter, LAFC got the exchange rate right in peppering Whitecaps goalie Maxime Crepeau with over 30 shots! LAFC used an incredibly different back line, with Eddie Segura the only usual starter. Dejan Jakovic, Tristan Blackmon, and Mohamed El-Munir not only filled in admirably but barely missed a beat. We also saw the first... oops moment... in the LAFC career of San Pablo Sisniega and the first appearance of Fito Zelaya at the Banc! Shout out to The 3252 for providing the first Fito chant and for the return of the Diego Rossi chant!

It was an incredible night, starting with the fantastic Canadian National Anthem provided by Kimberly Caldwell-Harvey and the Navy Seal Parachute Team. On this episode, hear Filly's incredible combination of alliterations, metaphors, similes, and a Black Plague sounding cough! Hear The Scarf's rant on Facebook and Fito (shout out to Josh Albrektson) while learning a new Spanish word! Each of the boys throws out their own Hulkamania impression while they come down from the excitement of meeting the legendary Figgy from Instagram. Man it feels good to be back at the Banc!

Enjoy this episode in-between an incredible Sunday of soccer, with the Women's World Cup final, the Copa America final, and the Gold Cup final ALL on the same day! Thanks for supporting the podcast, and for being one of the Defenders of the Banc. 

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Send us a text

Defenders of the Banc are back, featuring Panda, Scarfette, and Sweet Home Amy, to recap the USWNT’s Women’s World Cup semi-final vs. England. The girls skip the bacon and sip some tea to celebrate the 2-1 victory! Tune in for the game recap, birthday cheers for Alex Morgan and Crystal Dunn, some fun stats, and a look ahead to the final against the Dutch. Between the PK talk and the red card, we get an actual earthquake! You can experience Panda’s first ever earthquake right along with her, as the magnitude 6.4 tremor hit right as we were recording. We hope you enjoy this episode and from our family to yours, Happy 4th of July!!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Send us a text

Another episode of Defenders of the Banc... another massive win by our boys on the road! It's as if they knew that no good 4th of July celebration is complete without some tasty BBQ. LAFC served up Sporting KC on a platter, 5-1, in a game full of first and fantastic finishes and, more importantly, showed that the loss to Colorado just a few days earlier was nothing more than a small hiccup on the way to owning the West.

This game had everything! LAFC welcomed back Mark-Anthony Kaye from international duty, as Canada was eliminated from Gold Cup play; this brought the band back together, as Latif Blessing, Eduard Atuesta, and MAK reunited in the midfield. Every single one of our defenders (of the Banc!) made an impact today, from Tristan Blackmon's goal-line save to "Mohamed Miradona", Mohamed El-Munir, scoring an ankle-breaking goal. Christian Ramirez had an extremely successful-yet-somehow-still-maddening game at the forward position. Carlos Vela's left foot is still magical. And of course, San Pablo stood on his head again, this time with an incredible penalty kick save on SKC's Daniel Salloi. Oh... and Fito scored! This was the LAFC team we have come to know and love this season.

On this episode, Scarf not only gives us This Day in LAFC History but also a short history lesson on American independence while Filly practices Safe Shooeys at Stalking Horse in West LA! More details emerge about the Defenders tailgate, featuring that wonderful Riley's Brewing Honey Blonde Ale and magic red cups, while we try to get the word out about LAFC's Month of Giving, starting with The 3252 partnering with Ktown For All and Aunt F.L.O. for a Community Service Drive at Christmas Tree Lane. Finally, it's the showdown that everyone was hoping for, as both Mexico and the US advance to the final of the Gold Cup!

Thanks for helping Defenders make it to 40, and we hope you enjoy this one as much as we did recording it for you! Head on over to our Instagram to see pictures of the new Stars and Stripes Defenders logo pin! Hopefully we will see all of the Defenders on July 6th at our tailgate before the match against Vancouver. Bye bye!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Send us a text

On our latest episode of Defenders of the Banc, Panda, Scarfette, and Sweet Home Amy recap the USWNT’s World Cup Quarterfinal victory over France. We start the episode off with a very important debate over bacon, we talk a little about our next opponent England, aka Three Lionesses, and we tell you what to expect from the tournament moving forward. We shout out our girls from the Call Up podcast as we have our own “Here For This” segment with an idea for a new Ra-Pinot Grigio wine to honor the Player of the Match Megan Rapinoe. We end the episode with a toast to Jillian Ellis on her 100th win.

We hope you all enjoy this latest episode as the girls once again kick the boys out and take over Filimonster Studios. Don’t forget to weigh in on our Matchup of the Week for the Great Bacon Debate of 2019!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.