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It’s Episode 125, and we are doing something we don’t normally do here on Defenders of the Banc: We are celebrating a tie! 

 It’s been a long and tumultuous road both on and off the pitch in 2020, so when little victories come, we need to take time to celebrate them. Tonight’s match against Portland certainly gave us another moment to celebrate, and we recap the entire 102-minute match in Portland here on 125. 

 LAFC got off to an inauspicious start, with an early yellow on Jordan Harvey opening the bookings in just the 5th minute. The Black and Gold had a few chances in the opening half but, for the most part, Portland controlled the pace and flow of the first 45 minutes. San Pablo looked very good, making several saves and keeping it scoreless going into the locker room. 

 Jeremy Ebobisse, fast becoming a Rose City thorn in the side of LAFC, found the back of the net against us yet again, as Pablo seemed to be at least a little off of his line after a bad turnover by Adrien Perez. With LAFC down at about the hour mark, Mahala checked in and immediately provided some life and energy to the lineup. The Academy kids check in along with Dejan Jakovic for the final push, and LAFC played their best 20 minutes of the match with the young guys leading the way. Three minutes into stoppage, more LAFC history was made as midfielder, yes, midfielder Eddie Segura found Mahala who slotted a soft touch pass to 16-year old wunderkind Christian Torres for his first MLS goal and the game’s equalizer. LAFC walks out of Portland with a point.

 Also on this episode, Carlos Vela has a girl! Congratulations to Carlos, Saioa, and Romeo on welcoming their new daughter, India, into the world. LAFC gets their four stars back from international duty as Bob Bradley coaches his 100th match for LAFC across all competitions. It’s a rare full week off for LAFC, and Filly and the Scarf intend to take full advantage. It’s time to rest up, run that 5K for Athletes In the Making, and detox just in time for the LA Derby as Carson makes the trip into Los Angeles to take an L at the Banc.