Inside LAFC

Lots to talk about this week despite the 0-0 draw against Chicago. Max and Vince analyze the good and the bad from the match and try to help quell some of the frustrations from the scoreless night. Then it's a new segment brought to you by the listeners. The guys answer a few Twitter questions including some MLS All-Star Game picks and a TAM and GAM breakdown before special guest Tyler Miller drops in. Tyler was kind of enough to sit down to chat about his time at the Club, a cause that is close to his heart, and talk about the league's best defense and what's different between this year and last year for LAFC.

Fresh off his three-assist performance in a 4-1 win over Seattle, Mark-Anthony Kaye joins Jordan and Beita on the podcast. The guys get into MAK's rise to LAFC from Toronto FC 2 to USL and the Canadian National Team. They talk about the season-ending injury from last season, coming back stronger, and how it gives you a new perspective on the game when you're out for a long period of time.

Getting A New Perspective After The Injury | 4:14

Rising The Ranks From USL To MLS | 7:38

Getting The Opportunity With LAFC | 9:07

Learning To Work Hard | 14:20

Transformation From USL Player To MLS Standout | 18:46

Becoming A Central Midfielder | 24:53

Setting The Bar High | 30:40

Walker welcomes a very special guest to the podcast this week. Straight from the North End, it's 3252 Independent Supporters Union President Jimmy Lopez. Jimmy joins the show to chat becoming the president of the 3252 this season, the genesis of his involvement in supporter culture in Los Angeles, how the 3252 interacts with the Club and local community, and his favorite moments in the North End.

Becoming the 3252 President | 0:52

"LAFC Came To Us" | 4:21

Raising The Bar For Supporters Sections In MLS | 7:35

How Chants Come Together | 9:06

Supporter Culture Around LAFC | 15:00

Favorite LAFC Memories | 17:45

Max and Vince are back with another great episode for your listening pleasure. The guys dive right into the result in Seattle. It was a weird, and sometimes entertaining, match against the Sounders with lots of controversy to talk about. Then the guys celebrate the one-year anniversary of Banc of California Stadium by listing their favorite memories on the pitch. And finally, you might have seen the scuffle between Leeds United and Aston Villa over whether you should kick the ball out when there's an injury. As the arbiters of fair play, Max and Vince give their takes on the wild scene in the English Championship.

Reaction To Missed Chances | 4:05

Did The Red Card Benefit Seattle? | 7:34

Was It A Red Card? | 9:28

Chicago Fire Preview | 13:05

Top 5 Moments At The Banc | 20:07

Was It Fair Play? | 33:28

LAFC is undoubtedly the top team in MLS after another resounding victory. Max and Vince are here talk through the 4-1 win over the Seattle Sounders and how important LAFC's midfield trio was in the match. Max talks about the star sightings at LAFC matches including a chance meeting with Avengers Endgame director Joe Russo. Which got the guys thinking, how would you recast the Avengers with LAFC players? And finally, the guys try to pick out who LAFC's best player is after Carlos Vela... hint: when the team is doing this well, it ain't easy!

Recapping the win over the Sounders | 2:27

The return of Superman | 5:16

Getting the best out of Carlos Vela | 11:15

Max runs into Joe Russo postmatch | 16:46

Recasting the Avengers with LAFC players | 24:37

Who's LAFC's second-best player right now? | 32:41

Tough first loss of the season for LAFC up in Vancouver. Max and Vince are here to chat it out. And they have a very special guest, LAFC President Tom Penn joins the podcast. The guys start with a breakdown of the midweek match before Tom joins to talk about memories at Banc of California Stadium, the atmosphere at the Club, and more. Finally, the guys wrap it up with a preview of Sunday's match against the Seattle Sounders (Our apologies, we had major audio difficulties in the last segment but it will be sorted out for future episodes):

2:06 - The Turf In Vancouver

7:04 - Are Trap Games Real?

13:37 - Getting Carlos Vela Involved

16:00 - Tom Penn Joins The Show

19:52 - Celebrating One Year At Banc Of California Stadium

23:19 - What Makes LAFC Different?

32:08 - What It's Like To Work At LAFC

37:37 - LAFC Academy At Generation Adidas Cup

43:04 - LAFC vs Seattle Preview

This week is about the guys behind the guys. Walker sits down with the unsung heroes of the LAFC locker room Scott Tranilla and Miguel Flores. As the LAFC equipment manager and assistant equipment manager, Scott and Miguel are responsible for kits, training gear, and boots, but there's so much more that goes into the job including getting to know the little things players need on a day-to-day basis. Scotty and Miguel talk about how they broke into the league (1:18), the jobs within the job (7:14), getting to know each player's little idiosyncracies (9:24), the toughest parts of the job (14:10), how they split up the responsibilities (18:26), what matchday is like (21:29),and how keeping things light in the locker room can boost the team's spirits (22:31).

Lee Nguyen joins the Back to Back podcast this week. Jordan, Beita, and Lee are in the ESPNLA 710 studios to cover a wide range of topics. Could Lee have had a career as an NFL kicker? Lee chats about his many travels playing professional soccer before talking about why he looked forward to the challenge of joining LAFC. Lee educates the guys - mostly just Jordan actually - on the gaming world and why people enjoy watching gamers play video games. And finally, the guys ask Lee about his youth soccer camps.

Max is back from Europe! The guys talk about Max's travels including seeing an FA Cup match in London and watching MLS from abroad. They recap the D.C. United match and LAFC's historic goalscoring run to start the season. Then it's time to give the defense some attention, as Max and Vince lobby for Walker Zimmerman and Eddie Segura to be included in the MLS of the Week. After that, it's time to welcome in the MLS newcomers FC Cincinnati. The guys give their thoughts on how they think the match will play out. Finally, it's a bonus segment about the Concacaf Gold Cup and a couple of Champions League thoughts. And Max ends the show by dropping that it's his birthday on the day the guys are recording.

LAFC faces its biggest test to date on Saturday when it travels to take on D.C. United. It's a top of the table clash between the best in the East and West. Both teams have MVP candidates flying high at the moment in Wayne Rooney and Carlos Vela. Max and Vince preview the match, but not before they look back at LAFC's drubbing of the San Jose Earthquakes and the first month of the MLS season.