Defenders of the Banc - The LAFC Podcast

Send us a text LAFC takes the show on the road as the Black and Gold take on Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto. Filly and Scarf cover everything that went down in Salt Lake and so much more here on Episode 207! As LAFC heads to the All-Star break, there was one more foe to vanquish before a little break, the cobalt-and-claret clad club from Salt Lake. On paper, it was a bit of a mismatch: No Damir Kreil...

Send us a text Set at the beautiful Sofi Stadium, LAFC and Club America put on a spectacular exhibition in front of almost 72,000. Scoreless after regulation, and despite the standout performance from John McCarthy, America takes the win on penalties. The 3252 was electric, providing all the fireworks our boys needed, as Captain Eddie Segura led the way.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company....

Send us a text 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 sta...

Send us a text On Episode 204, we find the Black and Gold in Kansas City, at potential World Cup venue Children’s Mercy Park, set to take on Sporting KC. It’s a battle of worst versus first, as the only thing hot in Sporting’s world is the climate, and this one would play out exactly according to plan.  It was another slow start for LAFC, dodging an early bullet from Erik Thommy in the 15th minute...

Send us a text Come one, come all, to Episode 203 of "The Most LAFC Podcast on Earth," Defenders of the Banc! On most nights, our first match in Nashville, and certainly our first meeting against Walker Zimmerman since we traded him to Nashville in 2020, would take center stage. But this was not most nights, LAFC faithful.  Ever since the signings of Gareth Bale and Giorgio Chiellini, LAFC support...

Send us a text Derby Day is upon us once again, this time in the heart of Los Angeles. The Clasico Angelino comes to the Banc for the first time in 2022, and LAFC gets set to take on Carson. It’s Episode 202 of Defenders of the Banc, and Gareth Bale is in the building! Both sides started out a little tense, with the North End and the entire 22,000 at the Banc in rare form. This was definitely the...

Send us a text As we embark on the third century of episodes here at Defenders of the Banc, LAFC heads north of the border to take on Vancouver at BC Place, a stadium that has been more of a house of horrors for LAFC of late. Aren't Canadians supposed to be polite? This match would see LAFC start quite the interesting lineup. With Carson looming on the horizon, LAFC was... cautious. No Chiqui Pala...

Send us a text It's Episode 200! 200 episodes of THE Most LAFC Podcast on Earth! 200 episodes of Filly, Scarf, and all the LAFC craziness you could ever want. 200. Wow. What a number. And it would mean nothing without YOU, the Millions... there to support us along the way. We're hoping Episode 200 fits like your favorite baseball glove or t-shirt: Comfy in all the right places but still giving you...

Send us a text It's Episode 199 and OMG GARETH BALE IS COMING TO LAFC!!! It's not a rumor, it's not a wish, it's not a hope... it's a reality. Gareth Bale, the Gareth Bale of the bicycle kick in the Champions League, the Gareth Bale of 5 Champions League titles, 4 Club World Cup titles, 3 UEFA Super League titles, and 3 La Liga titles, the Gareth Bale who almost singlehandedly willed Wales to the...

Send us a text After a bit of a break, MLS, LAFC, and the Defenders are back at it, and boy does it feel good to be back. Sitting just 2 episodes away from 200, Filly and the Scarf recap all the goings-on in the Emerald City. It's Episode 198 of "The Most LAFC Podcast on Earth!", Defenders of the Banc.  In what we hope will be a preview of the eventual Western Conference Final, LAFC travels to the...

Send us a text It would be one thing to play 8 matches in 28 days. That, in itself, is tough. But LAFC made it much, much tougher. Injuries. Yellow card suspensions. New signings and rumors of more on the way. Good form and bad form mixed almost equally. And one soul-crushing loss. Put it all together, and what a year these last 28 days have been. LAFC closes out the run with a match against a fam...

Send us a text The night started with such promise. So many possibilities danced in the air: The ability to move to the final 8 of the U.S. Open Cup. The potential of playing a USL team in that round. The chance to dispatch our rival in another elimination match. And, most importantly, a second chance, a second bite at the cherry, as Max Bretos would say, to shake King Kong off our backs and final...

Send us a text The Black and Gold train rolls through Columbus, Ohio on our way to 8 matches in the month of May. Some called it a trap game. Some were concerned about our injuries, or our lack of depth. Some lamented the impacted schedule. And some who were there to see it likely doubted it would even happen in the first place. But the path to greatness is often littered with tiny but important s...

Send us a text The gauntlet continues for LAFC, as match number 5 in May is a midweek affair against another solid Western Conference foe, Austin FC.  What we hoped would be home-cooking turned out to be nothing more than a plate of stale broccoli, as LAFC falls to Austin, 2-1.  The start of the match was more of what we have come to expect this season, as LAFC fell behind early. In the 13th minut...

Send us a text For the fourth time in 14 days, LAFC is set to play. (Don't worry, we will do this all over again in the next 14 days) Tired, injured, and traveling a mile high to Commerce City, LAFC looked the part in their 2-0 loss to the Rapids, and you'll hear all about it here on Episode 193 of Defenders of the Banc. It all fell apart in the first half-hour for LAFC, as Sebastian Ibeagha and P...

Send us a text The 2022 US Open Cup roars on at Band of California Stadium, and for the third time, we take on the Portland Timbers. We beat them in 2018. They returned the favor in 2019. In 2022, it's the rubber match, and LAFC brought their axes to the Banc! On a beautiful Tuesday night, Steve Cherundolo rolled out a lineup worthy of most MLS contests. Gone were the ideas of going conservative,...

Send us a text LAFC begin their biggest and longest test of the season, with 5 matches in just 15 days. The first of the five is a showdown with the best club in the East, the Philadelphia Union, the last team LAFC played pre-pandemic. Their last match was a 3-3 knockdown heavyweight draw. This one begs for a trilogy to settle it, as the two combatants play to another draw, this time 2-2.  Despite...

Send us a text Week 9 of the MLS season is upon us, and a familiar face pays a visit to the Banc. Tyler Miller, no longer the starter, and his Minnesota United FC join us for Sunday services at the Cathedral of the Black and Gold. As the Loons would soon find out, good things come to those who sub in late! LAFC win an exciting affair, 2-0, behind two more goals from substitutes and staunch back li...

Send us a text It's matchday in Cincinnati as LAFC takes on FCC in TQL Stadium. Just four days removed from Open Cup triumph over our former stepbrothers, OCSC, LAFC would take on their second straight USL oppon... err... the relative MLS newcomers in what many worried would be somewhat of a trap game. But this is not the LAFC of old! Though the trap was set, LAFC would come away with all three po...

Send us a text For the first time since 2019, the U.S. Open Cup is Back at the Banc! LAFC hosts their former USL affiliate, Orange County Soccer Club, in a 3rd Round Open Cup clash, and your boys Filly and Scarf are here to break down all the fun of the 5-1 win. Open Cup matches at the Banc are always a fun time. You can hang out in Figueroa Club, get to know USL clubs, and these matches are anoth...

Send us a text Episode 186 - Penso Proves Too Much in Carson It’s Week 6 of LAFC’s season, and with that comes our first of two Clasico Angelinos, this one down in Carson. Carson, a house of horrors for LAFC, a place where we have never tasted 3 points in our 5-year history. And unfortunately, after this match, we will likely have to wait until 2023 to do so. LAFC falls at Carson, 2-1.  They say i...

Send us a text It’s Episode 185, and Filly and the Scarf find themselves in beautiful downtown San Diego. LAFC travels to Orlando in search of three points, with many players coming back from their international duty. LAFC’s depth and resolve would be tested, and, despite Joao Moutinho’s best efforts, the Black and Gold would come away with three points in the House of the Mouse!  Things did not s...

Send us a text Matchday number 4 in the 2022 MLS season is here, and it’s more of the same from Steve Cherundolo, Carlos Vela, and the best team in Major League Soccer, LAFC. It’s Episode 184, it’s Scarf’s birthday, and it’s time to take another moment to appreciate Mo.  Though Filly and Scarf took a bit to get their schedules on the same page, and to both be in the same country, it’s all worth th...

Send us a text It’s the third match of 2022 for LAFC, and our first away from the friendly  confines of the Banc. LAFC travels near the city where the heat is on, down to Fort Lauderdale to take on Inter Miami CF. Welcome to Episode 183, where Filly and Scarf break down all the fun, and the weather, of our second win of the year.  It was an ominous start on a few fronts for LAFC. The weather, and...

Send us a text Match 2 of the Steve Cherundolo era is upon us, and a familiar yet unfriendly foe comes knock, knock, knocking on Black and Gold Heaven’s door, the Portland Timbers. The Pesky Pine Trees, as Filly likes to call them, have dominated LAFC as of late, with our last win against the Rose City coming in September of 2020.  It was a star-studded affair at the Banc, with Owen Wilson, Weston...