Defenders of the Banc - The LAFC Podcast

Send us a text LAFC faithful, there’s no easy way to say it, but the loss in Portland was awful. A goal at the outset and a goal at the death served to feed LAFC to the woodchipper in Portland, and we recap all of it here on Episode 156.   It was an inauspicious start for LAFC, surrendering a goal to Portland’s superstar, Diego Valeri, just two minutes in. The 100thgoal in his brilliant career imm...

Send us a text LAFC is finally back at the Cathedral of the Black and Gold, 24 days since our last match at home, ready to take on Real Salt Lake for the second time in 14 days. It would be yet another win for us over Salt Lake, but this one felt much more like the LAFC of old, and you can hear all about it here on Episode 155 of Defenders of the Banc! LAFC celebrated Pride Night in wonderful fash...

Send us a text It’s Episode 154, and it’s our maiden voyage into Austin, Texas, and to the house that Al Raitt built, Q2 Arena. LAFC continues their winning ways on the road, 2-0, behind a standout performance from Jose Cifuentes, a goal from Diego Rossi, and another clean sheet for Tomas Romero. Back-to-back road wins, and just like that, the Black and Gold ship seems to have been righted for the...

Send us a text LAFC travels to the friendly confines of Sandy, Utah to take on Real Salt Lake, and you can hear all about it here on Episode 153 of Defenders of the Banc! It’s not just any episode, however. We’ve brought along a good friend, Vince LaRosa of 110 Football, to talk all about the victory over RSL, the Euros, and anything else we came up with here on 153!  First, the most important new...

Send us a text LAFC travels to Children’s Mercy Park to take on Sporting Kansas City, and for about an hour, optimism reigned! Unfortunately, the match is 90 minutes long.   LAFC has not been great on the road this season, and the trend continued in KC. Carlos Vela would start the match on the bench, and Bob broke out a new formation, 3-5-2. A bad yellow in the 12thminute on Tristan Blackmon would...

Send us a text Just days after a frustrating tie at the Banc’s rebirth, LAFC is back at home, this time to take on FC Dallas, the last place team in the West. The setting was ideal for a big win, and the Black and Gold did not disappoint! Here on Episode 151, we break down the searing performance.  LAFC and it’s captain, Carlos Vela, wasted no time getting on the score sheet. A 4th minute goal fro...

Send us a text 467 days. That’s how long it had been since our last family reunion, the last game with the Banc at full capacity. Since March 2020, the world has been turned upside down: A global pandemic, changes in all our lives, and, unfortunately, many who are no longer with us. Yet, there we all were, after 467 days, back at Christmas Tree Lane, back in the stands at the Banc, and back watchi...

Send us a text It's Episode 149, and this one is a little different than most of the others. Today, Filly and Scarf have partnered with Kaiser Permanente, the provider for the Team Physicians for LAFC, to help get the word out about THREE special vaccination events coming up in the next few weeks! We sit down with fellow LAFC supporter Dr. Joseph De Sena, Family Medicine, from Kaiser Permanente's...

Send us a text In what was billed as the “Marquee Matchup in MLS” this week, East meets West at the Banc, with NYCFC taking on LAFC at the Cathedral of the Black and Gold. Here on Episode 148, Filly and Scarf recap the frustrating 2-1, complete with a breakdown of the breakdowns, thoughts on what could be next, and more than a few hot takes.   Before they get into the match recap, the Defenders re...

Send us a text Episode 147 - Bracing For 3 Points LAFC is back at home, back in the friendly confines of Banc of California Stadium, and looking to right the ship amidst their worst stretch in our club’s short history. Waiting for us at home are the Colorado Rapids, just in time for an LAFC rebirth.  The fireworks began before the match, as Olly flew high above the beautiful pitch for the first ti...

Send us a text Episode 146 – Listless in Seattle  13th Place. Last in the Conference. LAFC officially wades into uncharted waters in the MLS table, escorted there by a listless, punchless 2-0 loss courtesy of the Seattle Sounders.   LAFC is left looking for answers on the offensive side of the ball yet again, and a few key defensive miscues plague the back line. The biggest question heading into t...

Send us a text Derby Day is upon us for the first time in 2021, and even though it’s down in Carson, and even though only 8,000 fans would be allowed in the park, there truly isn’t anything like the Battle for Los Angeles. Unfortunately, the Black and Gold faithful would be treated to a frustrating evening in Carson, as the boys fell 2-1. It’s Episode 145, and it’s this season’s biggest match so f...

Send us a text Episode 144 – One Point. Too Few Shots  LAFC heads out on the road for the first time in 2021, taking on the Houston Dynamo at BBVA Stadium. With Carlos Vela still sidelined, the Black and Gold Faithful were able to take solace in the return of last year’s Golden Boot winner, Diego Rossi. Unfortunately, LAFC was only able to take a point from Houston.   It was a bit of a snoozer in...

Send us a text Episode 143 – A Point-ed Effort Against Seattle  It’s Episode 143, and we love you, too! LAFC welcomes a team into the Cathedral of the Black and Gold that has earned no love in our club’s history, the Seattle Sounders. In what has become the second most important set of matches on LAFC’s schedule every year, LAFC’s depth would come into play for the second week in a row, as the Bla...

Send us a text The 2021 season has started, and, in typical LAFC fashion, the boys in Black and Gold open with a win at home! Austin FC kicks off their professional lives with a match at the Banc, and the lads from Texas would leave the match green with envy over the 3 points won by LAFC.   The match started with an incredible tribute to Mo Fascio, both from the club and the 3252. A moment of sile...

Send us a text  The preseason is over, for LAFC at least, so that must mean it’s time for another episode of “The Most LAFC Podcast on Earth”, Defenders of the Banc! Welcome to Episode 142.  There’s a bit of banter at the beginning of the episode, complete with Filly’s thoughts on Wrestlemania, Scarf heading back into the classroom for the first time in over 13 months, and a shoutout to the LA Tou...

Send us a text 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! Bri...

Send us a text It's Episode 139 of Defenders, and this one is special! On this episode, we have a REAL Defender of the Banc, everyone's favorite center-back, Eddie Segura!  Eddie sits down with Filly, Scarf, and our newest member of the Defenders squad, Lalo! We ask the questions, Eddie answers them, and Lalo does a wonderful job of translating everything. It's our first bi-lingual episode, and we...

Send us a text Season 4 is almost upon us, and, with the preseason about to begin, Filly and the Scarf are here to catch you up on all the Black and Gold news from the past few weeks! The biggest news of the last 11 months or so MUST be the potential return of at least some supporters to the Cathedral of the Black and Gold, Banc of California Stadium, starting on April 1. As long as numbers contin...

Send us a text  Filly and the Scarf are back for another episode of “The Most LAFC Podcast on Earth”, and there are tons of LAFC-related news stories to discuss!  Two big stories dominated the LAFC-multiverse: A new CBA agreed upon by MLS and MLSPA and the departure of another 3rd DP. Filly breaks down the numbers and potential improvements to be seen in the new collective bargaining agreement, an...

Send us a text It’s the first episode of 2021 and the first of Season 4! Filly and Scarf are back in Filimonster Studios to kick off the year with a rundown of all of the happenings since the calendar flipped to this year.   The front office has been quite busy in 2021. Mission accomplished for LAFC’s chief concern of the offseason, as Jesus David Murillo is officially back in Black and Gold. The...

Send us a text Defenders faithful, Episode 135 is our love letter to you. We are ALL ready to see 2020 kick rocks, but before it goes, Filly and the Scarf want to give it one more "how's your father".  Unscripted. That's right, Episode 135 is completely unscripted! This episode is our little gift to you. Come join us on a wild ride that we hope perfectly caps off whatever it was that we will look...

Send us a text The hellish ride that has been 2020 and the roller coaster that has been LAFC this season converged in Orlando for our final match this year. LAFC, as improbable as it may have seemed at times, found itself in the final of the CONCACAF Champions League tournament, and oh, what a ride it was!   After a contentious and well-played first half by both sides, LAFC, without Eduard Atuesta...

Send us a text LAFC defeats Club América to move on to the 2020 CONCACAF Champions League final!   In the single most important match in LAFC history, on the single biggest stage in LAFC history, against the single biggest opponent LAFC has ever played in a match that matters, LAFC comes away victorious! LAFC defeats América, 3-1, to move on to the final.    In order to get to the final, however,...

Send us a text Finally… LAFC has come BACK… to the Champions League! Crashing through the door like Stone Cold entering the ring, the boys in Black and Gold looked to make a statement against another Liga MX opponent, and, as we said on the pod several times… “Oh! What a night!”    LAFC looked to exercise several sets of demons as they took on Cruz Azul in Orlando. The 2020 MLS season. The Covid C...