Defenders of the Banc - The LAFC Podcast

As the season winds down, the excitement at the Banc is heating up! It's time for Episode 55 of Defenders of the Banc!
LAFC hosted in-state "rivals" San Jose, and things did NOT go well for the Smurfs. The Black and Gold emerged victorious, to the tune of a 4-0 home beatdown, behind two goals from the future MVP, Carlos Vela, including one that will certainly be up for Goal of the Year awards at the end of the season.
It wasn't just Carlitos, however, as Diego Rossi continued his climb up the MLS scoring charts. Jordan Harvey and Tristan Blackmon both saved goals with clearances from the back line to preserve Tyler Miller's clean sheet. In a game full of "Wait, What?!" moments, two from the second half stole the show. The first was the return of Mohamed El-Munir, taking the pitch about 6 weeks after the horrific injury suffered at the hands of Zlatan. The Banc was electric when El-Mo checked in. And the redemption story is complete, as Josh Perez, after a series of near misses and heartbreaks, finally finds the back of the net for the first time in his MLS career.
Also on this episode, joining us for an impromptu visit in the third chair is Black Army's own "Apple Juice", Vincent Ford. This Day in LAFC History recalls the first bit of hardware won by the Academy. Finally, the Supporters Shield update gets a whole lot shorter, as there seems to be just one other team (NYCFC) worth tracking. LAFC is poised for history this season, but before we can claim shields or titles, there is that little matter awaiting the Black and Gold on Sunday: the clash with Carson at the Banc.
A special thank you to our military servicemen and women, as LAFC held Military Appreciation Night during this game, and another shoutout to the incomparable Alina Beruff of the LAFC Foundation. We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did putting it together for you, and we look forward to recapping our first W against Carson in just 4 days. Defend the Banc!

LAFC rolls back into Banc of California Stadium for the first time in three weeks, and waiting for them at the gates are the reigning CONCACAF champs, the Seattle Sounders. It’s Episode 205, where Filly and Scarf break down all the fun that was LAFC’s 4th straight win.

With kickoff set for 8:15, the stars were aligned for some serious “MLS After Dark” action. The game’s ominous start definitely qualified, as just 15 minutes in, Cristian Roldan plays through three LAFC defenders before crossing a ball into the box and off the foot of Jesus David Murillo for just our second own goal of the season. Down 1-0, and narrowly escaping going down two, LAFC would answer. A lightning strike by Mahala knotted the match at one in the 35th minute. Just 8 minutes later, Jose Cifuentes would deliver a perfect ball to Carlos Vela, and in Ciman-like fashion, the ball trickled through Stefan Frei’s legs to put the good guys up, 2-1. In the second half, Gareth Bale came on after about an hour, and that was just about all the excitement to write home about. LAFC takes down Seattle and solidifies their spot atop the Supporters Shield race.

Also on this episode, Filly quotes Noah Webster while Scarf dreams of a Chiellini hug at center pitch. With two games in the next 7 days, including an exhibition against Club America at Sofi, it’s going to be another fun week for the Black and Gold, and for the Defenders! See you for 206!

For the first and only time in the 2021 MLS regular season, Derby Days comes to the Banc! Fresh off All Star Weekend, LAFC faces their near-town rivals, the Carson Galaxy, in the most important match of the season. The LA Derby never disappoints, and this edition certainly would not. Hear all about it here on Episode 164 of The Most LAFC Podcast in all of Los Angeles County.

It’s been quite the week in world football as Cristiano Ronaldo lands in Manchester and Messi gets set to debut in Paris, but MLS’s dream matchup of Vela vs. Chicharito would only occur on the injury list. The Black and Gold would lean on the front line of Diego Rossi, Chicho Arango, and Brian Rodriguez, and the front line would deliver. However, and stop me if you’ve heard us talk about this before, the defense would leave points on the pitch at home.

A first-minute no-call on Diego Rossi, which certainly should have resulted in a penalty for LAFC, could have taken the wind out of our sails early, but LAFC kept fighting. Unfortunately, another bad bounce involving Muri leads to a goal for Carson, and LAFC falls behind early. RIght before the halftime whistle, it’s Chicho with a moment of brilliance, both earning a PK after being fouled in the box AND burying it home a minute later. We are deadlocked at one after the first half of play.

The second half would be a back and forth affair, with one moment of show-stopping brilliance by Brian Rodriguez. Weaving through three defenders in the box and shooting it over a fourth and the keeper, Rayito delivered a definite GOTY candidate. After another equalizer for Carson, it’s Brian, again, this time slotting home a rebound off Jonathan Bond to give LAFC the lead for the second time. In what has unfortunately become a theme this season, LAFC could not salt the game away. Awful back line defending leaves Kevin Cabral wide open and, with just four minutes remaining in regulation, we are again level, and that’s the end result.

Also on this episode, Filly meets his “hall pass”, Scarf misses his Little League days, The 3252 unveils another inspiring tifo, and Niko Hämäläinen helps out his old club. We also talk a little Messi, CR7, and even a dash of Laurent Ciman. For LAFC, the fight has just begun, and warriors never stop fighting. Enjoy all the sights and sounds of Derby Day here on Episode 164.

Aaaaaaand... we’re back! It may only be for a pre-season tilt against the Revolution, but wow, does it feel good to be back at the Banc! If we’re at the Banc, then it must be time for Episode 140! Season 4 is underway, and we’ve even got some bonus soccer!

On this episode, we catch up with a ton of news and notes from the past 2 weeks. Player news? Oh, we’ve got your player news! Brian Rodriguez, Adama Diomande, Mohamed El-Munir, Phillip Ejimadu, CC Uche, and Jorge Gonzalez all make the cut, and none of them are even on the team!

We also bring you a full recap of the pre-season match against New England. Want something more? OK, how about a recap of the first 30 minutes of the unannounced pre-season match against our new USL affiliate, Las Vegas Lights? We’ve got that, too! And be careful, llamas, because the Moose was loose!

How did the Canadian Glory Machine, Mark-Anthony Kaye, fare against the Cayman Islands? Why was Tomas Romero one of the few bright spots for El Salvador? And how did Jordan Harvey move up a few MLS Leaders lists without even playing in a match? You’ll just have to listen to this episode to find out!

Also on this episode, we cover MLS’s new concussion substitution rule while Scarf attempts to break down the US Open Cup’s 2021 qualification process. (Get your notebooks ready) In unsurprising news, Larry Freedman and John Thorrington make it official. And it wouldn’t be an episode without Filly finding a way to work in his Indiana Hoosiers.

We’re back and in full stride here in 2021. Episode 140 gets the ball rolling on what we hope will finally be the season we bring home MLS Cup. Stay with the Defenders for all your Black and Gold news for season four! See you next week for Episode 141!

The season started with such optimism: Trophies to play for, history to make, and records to break. Yet here we sit, nearing the end of September and the end of trophy-winning opportunities, and we have absolutely nothing to show for it. In what has been a frustratingly familiar refrain in 2023, LAFC loses to another Liga MX club with a trophy on the line. This time, it's the Campeones Cup at the hands of Tigres, and in the worst way possible: on penalties.

LAFC was pummeled out of the gate, as Tigres brought their aggressive style to all parts of the pitch over the first 18 minutes of the match. But as the match wore on, LAFC wore their bruises like badges of honor and began to stem the time and punch back. Coming out of the locker room at the half with a renewed sense of hope, LAFC began taking it to Tigres, until the 63rd minute.

In that fateful minute, Chiqui Palacios would earn his second yellow of the match, resulting in a red and LAFC going down to 10 men. But from that moment, LAFC actually played... better! Stiffening their resolve, LAFC continued to take the fight to Tigres. If not for a second touch off a restart by Giorgio Chiellini, LAFC would have walked away with Campeones Cup after a 78th-minute goal. But alas, though the soccer gods did even the sides at 10 men a piece, they were unkind in PK's. LAFC would have two of their chances saved from the first four while Tigres would net all of theirs, and for the third time this season, we see a trophy slip out of our grasp.

Also on this episode, we check in on Cifu, playing in three different competitions in Scotland, Scarf reveals his mafia ties and Oreo eating habits, and Filly makes up new words and phrases while reminding the world that Drew Fisher sucks. Come share in our frustration here on Episode 278 of Defenders of the Banc!