Defenders of the Banc - The LAFC Podcast

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The MLS season is back underway (after a 27 day break!), so the boys are back with another game recap here on Episode 38! Unfortunately, the second half of the season is off to a bit of an auspicious start, as LAFC falls 1-0 in Colorado. 

Filly and The Scarf break down the breakdown near Denver, including Pablo Sisniega and Josh Perez making their first MLS starts, friend-of-the-pod Phillip Ejimadu making his first appearance in an MLS 18, the return (to the bench) of Dejan Jakovic, and another appearance of Fito Zelaya! We also get to play Name that Perez not once, but twice! Unfortunately, none of that resulted in a goal as LAFC lost an MLS match for only the second time this season.

There's so much more to the episode than just the recap! We're back with another This Day in LAFC History, celebrating the anniversary of the team's first ever hat trick. Our WAIT, WHAT?! moment of the podcast has nothing to do with soccer, but we are definitely pretty excited about it! Filly throws out a few fantastic fast alliterations while The Scarf breaks down the crazy schedule ahead for our boys in Black and Gold. All that and more is yours to hear (viewers?) on this episode of Defenders of the Banc!

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Here comes another episode of Defenders of the Banc, and it’s the next installment of our interview series, Stories from the Stadium. As lifelong punk and hardcore fans, Filly and The Scarf had to pinch themselves after this one. 

The legendary band Suicidal Tendencies, first formed in 1980 out of Venice, CA, is unquestionably on the Mount Rushmore of thrash/punk bands. Bands like Green Day, Rage Against the Machine, System of a Down, and The Offspring have all claimed Suicidal Tendencies as one of their influences. 

Among the current band lineup is Ra Diaz, their bassist, LAFC fan and ticket holder, and our interview guest for this episode of Defenders of the Banc. Ra, Filly, and The Scarf talk all things music, touring, and of course, LAFC. Ra became hooked after attending his first game and witnessing the monster that is The 3252!

In between Gold Cup, World Cup, Open Cup, and MLS league games, or maybe even on your way to Colorado later this week, join the Defenders in getting to know Ra Diaz! Enjoy the latest from the Defenders of the Banc!

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On our latest episode of Defenders of the Banc, Panda and Scarfette recap the USWNT’s World Cup Quarterfinal victory over Spain. Later in the episode, the girls are joined in the third chair by co-host Amy, on location in Kentucky! After a quick “Wait, What?” moment, the girls touch on all the VAR decisions in the WWC, specifically highlighting the Brazil vs. France game. The girls close the episode with a run down of the teams remaining in the tournament and the match-ups to look forward to as the quarterfinals close and the semifinals approach. 

We hope you enjoy this latest episode in our series with the Defenderettes and their coverage of the Women’s World Cup!

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The Defenders of the Banc are back, this time with another of our Stories from the Stadium! We love being able to tell great stories and introduce the LAFC community to great people from around the stadium.

Our latest episode, Episode 35, is a fantastic interview with two of the members of the band All Good Things, lead vocalist Dan Murphy and guitarist Andrew Bojanic. Not only are these two great guys, but they are LAFC diehards and season ticket members who's love for the team is only equalled by their love to absolutely rock. 

All Good Things is set to absolutely blow up, armed with a legion of faithful followers and over 150 MILLION views on YouTube of their music videos. They have been featured prominently in video games, commercials, and in arenas around the world, and their song For the Glory, featured prominently on this episode, is set to become the next BIG thing. 

Andrew and Dan sit down with Filly and The Scarf at beautiful Filimonster Studious to talk all thing LAFC, Banc of California Stadium, The 3252, and, of course, music. We had a blast with the guys, and we hope you will enjoy the episode as much as we had making it! Be sure to listen for the exclusive new intro for this episode and stick around until the end for the complete version of their awesome song, For the Glory!

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In this episode, Panda and Nina bring you the latest recaps from matches of the Group Stage of the Women’s World Cup for the US Women’s National Team: matches with Thailand, Chile, and Sweden. We also bring you a little history about the evolution of the Women’s World Cup. Get to know our co-host in the third chair, Amy Acevedo, aka “SweetHomeAmy”, as we talk about the potential matches our women will be facing as we start the Round of 16. Will the US Women romp to the title? 

Pour yourself some wine, sit back, and enjoy this all women’s episode as we take over Filimonster Studios once more!. 

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The Open Cup is back underway, and with it comes Episode 33 of Defenders of the Banc! The Black and Gold were back at The Banc, and boy did it feel good. On this episode, Filly and The Scarf break down the burial of the San Jose Earthquakes, 3-1, as LAFC moves on to the Elite 8 of the Open Cup. 

Hear all about the fantastic, hard-fought win, including our thoughts on the rising star that is Pablo Sisniega. Despite playing without Tyler Miller, Walker Zimmerman, Mark-Anthony Kaye, and Steven Beitashour, LAFC looked solid and certainly did more than enough to leave home victorious and advance. 

In addition to the game recap, hear all about This Day In LAFC History! The Defenders also give you a quick recap of the first match day in the Gold Cup, where four players, including young phenom Peter-Lee Vassell, are representing their home nations. We highlight the LAFC Academy's quest to win a national championship at the Development Academy tournament, including their 5-1 win over Philadelphia. Finally, we preview the Quarterfinal matchups of the Open Cup, including TWO USL sides, St. Louis FC and New Mexico United. 

Hear Filly rant about the poor performing team from Carson while Scarf soapboxes for Eduard Atuesta to make the trip to Orlando! What did the boys think of Tristan Blackmon and Danilo Silva on the back line? Did Christian perform another shooey? Find out all that and more on Episode 33 of Defenders of the Banc. As always, THANK YOU for your support of the LAFC Podcast for the People!

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Episode 32 is here, along with the Open Cup, the Gold Cup, Copa America, and the Women’s World Cup! Here on Defenders, we thought we take a small break from all the cups (and shooey’s!) to sit down with an incredible father and son duo, Mathew and Nima Bahri. 

Mathew has been covering soccer for Persian radio in Los Angeles for nearly 20 years, the last two of which have involved covering LAFC. We talk all things soccer with Mathew, including LAFC, Steven Beitashour, and his son’s budding professional career. 

For the second half of the episode, we bring in a fourth chair, Nima Bahri. Nima has gone from rec league soccer star, to CIF title game winning goal scorer, to now a professional, signing a contract with Cascavel Clube Recreativo in Brazil. He’s also on the radar for both the US and Iranian U20 national teams. 

Full disclosure: J.R. (The Scarf) has known the Bahri family for over 20 years, and it was a blast to have them on the pod. We thank the Bahri family (including Mojy and Niki) for welcoming us into their home. Enjoy a fun interview with a proud father and his young son, brimming with enthusiasm and energy. Thanks for tuning in once again to Defenders of the Banc!

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The Open Cup has started and the Defenders are back together! Episode 31 is here, and its time to recap yet another victory over Real Salt Lake. Reunited, and it feels so good!

On this episode, hear the boys recap the 3-0 shellacking in Sandy, Utah in the first game for LAFC in the 2019 edition of the Lamar Hunt Open Cup. No Tyler Miller, no Walker Zimmerman, no Steven Beitashour, and no Mark-Anthony Kaye? No problem! Hear all about the debut of Pablo Sisniega, the return of Lee Nguyen to the starting lineup, and one other minor detail... the much anticipated first appearance of Fito Zelaya! 

Of course, there also This Day in LA History, a very brief appearance by Panda, and plenty more! It's time to catch Open Cup fever, Defenders! Enjoy episode 31 while you get ready for the round of 16 of the Open Cup! Happy birthday Jimmy!

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Panda and Scarfette take over Filimonster Studios again, this time bringing on the First Lady of The 3252, Cassie Riddle, for a special interview episode following the Pride Parade.

After a brief recap of Pride, the ladies dive in, getting to know Cassie and her life as a teacher, student, and core member of Black Army and The 3252.

Find out about Cassie’s take on the first ever engagement at The Banc, her favorite chants, what it’s like to be a drummer in the North End, and who on LAFC she finds most attractive (spoiler: it’s not a player)! 

Most importantly, learn about how you can support Juan and his family as he recovers from surgery.

Enjoy another special episode featuring the ladies of Defenders of the Banc!

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While the team may be on a bit of a break before the Open Cup and the Gold Cup, the Defenders have been hard at work! On this episode, Filly and The Scarf head to the LAFC offices in DTLA to interview LAFC midfielder Javi Perez! 

Hailing from the legendary Valencia academy in Spain, Javi's journey from Valencia, to Pittsburgh, and then to LAFC is fascinating. On the interview, you'll hear about his time spent at David Villa's DV7 Academy, captaining the Pitt Panthers under coach Jay Vidovich, the experience of the Draft and Combine, and playing on the pitch against Vissel Kobe his idol and mentor, David Villa. 

We sat down with Javi on May 22. Unfortunately, just before the end of the month, Javi tore his ACL for a second time. We wish Javi a speedy and smooth recovery, and we can't wait to see him back out there for the Black and Gold next year! 

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