Defenders of the Banc - The LAFC Podcast

Send us a text Season 5 is finally here, and LAFC looks to kick off the Steve Cherundolo era the exact same way they have started their first four seasons, with a win! The SG's have their tents set up on Christmas Tree Lane, the Defenders, Filly and Scarf, are ready to take notes and enjoy beverages, and a healthy Carlos Vela is in the lineup. Everything seems right for a huge LAFC win, and our bo...

Send us a text Season 5 is almost upon us, and we here at Defenders Nation, preachers of the Black and Gold gospel, absolutely cannot wait! With our new vestments freshly unpacked, the "5 Years Strong" kit, we are indeed feeling stronger than ever. But while the kit may be new, and the coach may be new, and many of the players may be new, the goal remains the same: win the whole damn thing!    Her...

Send us a text LAFC 2.0 is on and poppin’, and for the first time in our club’s history, the Black and Gold took the pitch without Bob Bradley. The Steve Cherundolo Era begins in earnest, and it’s against a familiar preseason foe, the New England Revolution. Forgoing much of the usual News and Notes of most Defenders episodes (to be covered in Episode 180!), Filly and the Scarf get right in to all...

Send us a text For the final time in 2021, the boys are at World Famous Filimonster Studios to record an episode of “The Most LAFC Podcast on Earth”, Defenders of the Banc! There is SO much news to discuss since our pasting at the hands of the Commerce City Rapids, and Filly and Scarf try to get to ALL of it!  This offseason saw, without a doubt, the most significant player movement of any of our...

Send us a text Well, Defenders... it finally happened. After a full season of rising above and falling below the playoff line, injuries, poor performances and matches that re-ignited our hope, the nail was finally driven into the coffin of the 2021 season. Needing a win and some help on Decision Day, LAFC got neither. The Colorado Rapids take the Western Conference title and LAFC's playoff hopes i...

Send us a text For the final time in the regular season in 2021, LAFC took the pitch at the Cathedral of the Black and Gold, Banc of California Stadium. In what was as close to a must-win match as we have played in a year, LAFC took on the white-hot Whitecaps with their playoff lives on the line, and… despite a 1-1 draw, LAFC is not dead yet.  LAFC got off to a nightmarish start, allowing a goal a...

Send us a text Episode 175 - Soundly Beating Seattle To Extend the Season LAFC, for the moment, is above the playoff line! Yes, it may just be for a night, but LAFC, riding a 5-game unbeaten streak, is finally back above the line. The Black and Gold put a beatdown on the West’s #1 and our biggest nemesis, the Seattle Sounders, taking all three points and scoring three huge goals. It’s a great Tues...

Send us a text Defenders, the regular season is slowly coming to a close, but our beloved Black and Gold have not yet given up their fight for a playoff spot. LAFC headed out to Allianz Field in Minnesota to take on the Loons, and you can hear all about it here on Episode 174 of Defenders of the Banc! Despite being outplayed, and outplayed badly, through the first half-hour, LAFC were the first on...

Send us a text Episode 173 - Chicho Saves Our Season LAFC still has a pulse, thanks to the incredible efforts of our newest talisman, Mr. Automatic from the spot, Christian “Chicho” Arango! It’s Episode 173, and we are breaking down all the Fun in Frisco, as LAFC took out FC Dallas, 3-2, behind a hat trick from Chicho! Make no mistake about it, LAFC came out looking lethargic and lost. Despite an...

Send us a text Friends, Supporters, Black and Gold faithful, lend us your ears. For a really long time. We bring on the newest President of the 3252, KC Garcia, to discuss all things Black and Gold, including our big 3-1 win over San Jose, our playoff chances, the Defenders’ first time in the North End, and so, so much more. But… there’s a bit of a catch.  Episode 172 was a bit like your favorite...

Send us a text Round 3 of the 2021 LA Derby comes to Carson, as does the heartbeat of LAFC, The 3252, behind 13 buses carrying the Choir of the Black and Gold. If the match were played in the stands, it would be a resounding multi-goal victory. Alas, the match is still played on the pitch, and all LAFC could muster was a 1-1 draw.  The match started out perfectly for LAFC, as early yellows for Car...

Send us a text Banc of California Stadium welcomes back the Black and Gold for the first time in over 2 weeks, as LAFC takes on familiar and hated foe Portland for the third time in 2021. Unfortunately for LAFC, this one would end exactly as the others did, as LAFC falls 2-1. It’s not deja vu, it’s forest green Groundhog Day.  Stop us if you’ve heard this before: Portland scores. LAFC equalizes. P...

Send us a text LAFC headed up to the usually-friendly confines of PayPal Park for a lovely Saturday evening in San Jose, and, unfortunately, for the Black and Gold, it was a house of horrors. LAFC loses to the Smurfs, 2-0, and the playoff chase for LAFC becomes a little harder. But yay, Filly’s back from Orlando! Right out of the gate, a disaster of a header pass from Mamadou Fall leads to Chofis...

Send us a text LAFC touched down in Portland riding the high of a three-game win streak and a newly found goal scoring touch. Leave it to the fake grass, rain, and physical play of Portland to throw the 2021 season back into flux. The Black and Gold lose a frustrating one, 2-1, as they leave several chances unfinished at Providence Park. Hear all about it here on Episode 168! Playing against Portl...

Send us a text Major League Soccer might have tried to keep Filly and The Scarf out of Austin by scheduling a Wednesday away match, but nothing could keep LAFC’s own Moose, Danny Musovski, from rampaging through Q2 Stadium! LAFC comes out of Texas with three points, beating Austin FC, 2-1.  For the first of several times in the match, the soccer gods smiled upon LAFC early, wiping off an Austin go...

Send us a text Sometimes you’re lucky. Sometimes you’re good. In LAFC’s match against RSL at the Banc this week, we were definitely a little bit of both! LAFC wins consecutive games for just the third time this season, 3-2 over Real Salt Lake, and you can hear all about how it went down on Episode 166.  If you weren’t in your seat at the start of the match, you missed history! Eduard Atuesta takes...

Send us a text In Los Angeles, it’s not the leaves changing color, or a crispness in the air, or even the smell of pumpkin spice in every Starbucks and Trader Joe’s that signal the coming of fall in 2021. This year, it’s the sound of the 3252 roaring as our own Defender of the Banc, Mamadou Fall, scores a brace at the Banc to give LAFC its biggest win of 2021! It’s Episode 165, the first of the po...

Send us a text 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 b...

Send us a text The MLS All Star Week landed at the Banc, and your boys, the Defenders of the Banc, Filly and the Scarf were there to take it all in. What a cool weekend it was! As has become a tradition here on Defenders, we recap all of the All Star festivities with our good buddy and fellow #podfam member Jonathan Reimer.  From the All Star Kickoff at the 1923 Club on Monday, to the Skills Chall...

Send us a text With just a few days until the All Star Game heads to the Cathedral of Black and Gold, LAFC heads north of the border for the first time in 2 seasons to take on Vancouver. Spoiler alert: it did not go well.  Just 15 minutes into the match, Carlos Vela called for a sub as he held his right thigh. As all LAFC front office execs and faithful alike held their collective breath, Chicho e...

Send us a text Gone are the days of LAFC yore, where we would score goals upon goals and rack up points both at home and on the road. Like the apothecary table in friends, this season is definitely not from yore. It’s from the Twilight Zone, with a little bit of the Upside Down sprinkled in. On Episode 161, LAFC makes its only appearance in an Eastern Conference home, as the Black and Gold travel...

Send us a text In LAFC’s early days, San Jose was a home away from home. Goals came easy for the Black and Gold, stacks of 3 points were regularly on the menu, and the mighty 3252 took over the stadium like nowhere else LAFC journeys. Well, after today, at least we still have the 3252! LAFC falls in frustrating fashion to San Jose 2-1.  The day started out with such promise, as LAFC fans would see...

Send us a text LAFC gets back to the Banc to take on one of MLS’s top teams in 2021, Sporting Kansas City, and it’s safe to say that if this wasn’t rock bottom on our season, at least we don’t have too much further to fall. SKC came into the Banc and demolished the Black and Gold, 4-1, for our worst home loss in team history.  It all started amazingly enough, as Ted Lasso Night was celebrated at t...

Send us a text LAFC played well enough to win for a full 94 minutes and about 45 seconds. But in what has become a microcosm of the 2021 season, LAFC gave up a game-tying goal in the 5th minute of three minutes of stoppage time to lose two points at home and draw with visiting Minnesota, 2-2. Better late than never, it’s Episode 158, and this one was hard to put into words. But don’t worry… we did...

Send us a text For the third time in a week-and-a-half, the boys in Black and Gold take the pitch, this time against usual punching bags, the Vancouver Whitecaps. Despite an awful start, LAFC salvages a point, and you can hear all about it here on Episode 157 of Defenders of the Banc! LAFC came out sluggish and sloppy, and it showed almost immediately. Forced to defend cross after cross in the fir...