By J.R. Lebert & Christian Filimon

Filly and The Scarf are back in action previewing LAFC's upcoming match vs Aaron Long's former club, NYRBBy J.R. Lebert & Christian Filimon

"Keep Portland Weird" is the slogan you'll see plastered on many walls, billboards, and bumper stickers as you make your way across the Rose City. Well, LAFC and Portland did their best to keep Portland weird in their 2-2 draw on Saturday, and you can hear all about it here on Episode 296. With Filly still in New York, our good buddy Chris Lafferty…

LAFC travels up the coast to see an old friend, as the Portland Timbers, with their new keeper, Maxime Crepeau, host the Black and GoldBy J.R. Lebert & Christian Filimon

LAFC beats LAG in their first rivalry match of the season. Filly and Scarf recap the goals, the memories and the good times.By J.R. Lebert & Christian Filimon

The undefeated (ugh) Carson Galaxy heads to BMO for Round 1 of the LA Derby! Hear the boys' thoughts on the match, players to watch, and score predictions.By J.R. Lebert & Christian Filimon

A Mile-Hi and welcome to episode 294 of Defenders of the Banc. Our expectations after last week's win were sky high, but the Rapids brought us back down to earth with a frustrating 3-2 defeat in Commerce City, CO. With Scarf miles away in Puerto Rico, Filly enlists the help of friend of the pod, and member of the @blackandgoldrc , Chris Lafferty ( …

Filly is flying solo today on this edition of OMS. Well, Filly and Hello Kitty.By J.R. Lebert & Christian Filimon

Welcome to Episode 293, and what a match it was for the boys in Black and Gold! LAFC ends our scoreless streak just before it hit 350 minutes, Denis Bouanga bags a brace (though he will tell you it should have been 4!), and Olly takes a circuitous route around BMO for her pre-match flight. Take a listen for all the details of a thrilling night at B…

Turns out we forgot to upload this to Buzzsprout before the match! Sorry! Here is Scarf's One More Sleep leading into LAFC's match vs. Nashville at BMO!By J.R. Lebert & Christian Filimon

LAFC traveled to the Twin Cities to take on Minnesota United and, stop us if you've heard this before, LAFC was held goalless. Again. In fact, it's been 339 minutes of actual live play since out last goal. Cue the Titanic meme, indeed. A mess of a clearance by Murillo off a set piece given under questionable-at-best circumstances fell to the feet o…

Filly and Scarf preview LAFC's upcoming match vs Minnesota United.By J.R. Lebert & Christian Filimon

LAFC heads back to the friendly confines of BMO Stadium for a matchup against Peter Vermes-led Sporting Kansas City, the only club to beat LAFC twice at home in the regular season in our club's first 6 years. What we hoped would be a high-scoring match for the Black and GOld quickly turned into a battle of keepers. Former MLS Pool keeper and longti…

Despite Filly's rotten luck with his computer the boys give you a preview of LAFC's upcoming match vs SKC.By J.R. Lebert & Christian Filimon

It's no Lazy Sunday for the Defenders, as they wake up early Sunday morning to give you all the LAFC news, notes, banter, and a recap of the blizzard that hit Sandy, Utah by the name of Andres Gomez. LAFC gets TKO'd by Salt Lake, 3-0, amid a blustery, winter storm. First, the match was delayed 2 hours because of weather. Then, just 3 minutes in, li…

Preview of LAFC's upcoming trip to Sandy, UtahBy J.R. Lebert & Christian Filimon

Season 7 is upon us, and our first match of the new year sees us staring down a familiar foe, the Seattle Sounders. Hugo Lloris is Black and Gold, Eduard Atuesta is BACK in Black and Gold, and Carlos Vela still isn't in Black and Gold. But one thing remains the same: LAFC does NOT lose season openers! The match began with another banger of a tifo b…

LAFC AND THE BOYS ARE BACK with the first edition of One More Sleep for Season 7. Filly, Scarf and Hello Kitty preview LAFC's season and home opener against the Seattle SoundersBy J.R. Lebert & Christian Filimon

The boys are back! Both LAFC and the Defenders have finally begun things in 2024. On our maiden 2024 voyage, the boys talk three things: Preseason matches, players we've signed, and players who have left. Yes, Maxime Crepeau is gone. So is John McCarthy, Kellyn Acosta, Diego Palacios, Giorgio Chiellini, and many other depth pieces. But, oh baby! Ed…

Ultimately, 2023 did not end with the same Hollywood ending as 2022 did. There was no Gareth Bale miraculous goal, no comeback just in the nick of time, and no major championship trophy hoisted by LAFC this season. Despite chance after chance, the boys in Black and Gold fell just short yet again, losing to the Crew in the MLS Cup Final, 2-1. Here o…

Filly and Scarf give you the final One more Sleep episode of 2023. This is the big one. The MLS Cup Final Preview. Thank you for being with us all season long. We are ALL Defenders.By J.R. Lebert & Christian Filimon

It's Episode 286, and on this episode, LAFC finally brings home a trophy! It's not quite the one we were hoping for, but don't worry! We play for that in just 7 days! LAFC is on to the MLS Cup Final after defeating Houston in the Western Conference Final, 2-0! A near miss by Carlos Vela and a stunning cross from Hector Herrera punctuated a very ent…

Filly, Scarf and The Dr. Jonathan Reimer preview LAFC's upcoming match against the Houston Dynamo for the right to represent the Western Conf. in the MLS Finals.By J.R. Lebert & Christian Filimon

The Seattle Sounders: Jordan Morris, Cristian Roldan, Raul Ruidiaz, Nico Lodiero, Nouhou, Yeimar, Joao Paulo, and Brian Schmetzer. Lumen Field. Turf. Ted Unkel. Chris Penso. The deck was stacked with reasons why LAFC shouldn't win. Why LAFC shouldn't advance to their third Western Conference Final in our 6-year history. Why the Black and Gold faith…

Filly and Scarf are back after a 3 week hiatus to preview LAFC's upcoming playoff match versus the always dangerous Seattle Sounders.By J.R. Lebert & Christian Filimon

It may have taken 6 matches, but LAFC is finally done with the Vancouver portion of their 2023 schedule! LAFC dispatches Vancouver, 1-0, behind a Denis goal and another sparkling performance by Maxime Crepeau. It's on to the Western Conference Semis for the Black and Gold! In a much more tense and nervy affair than we would have wanted, LAFC struck…

As LAFC embarks on its title defense, it's a familiar foe, as Vancouver returns to BMO for the first match in a ridiculous best-of-three First Round series. It's playoff time, Defenders, and this is Episode 283 of Defenders of the Banc! LAFC started out hot, as Ryan Hollingshead cleaned up the mess after a beautiful set piece to give LAFC the lead …

Filly and The Scarf talk playoffs.By J.R. Lebert & Christian Filimon

Decision Day! One of the most fun days on the MLS calendar is here, and LAFC can finish anywhere from 2nd to 4th depending on their result. As Filly and Scarf have their eye on games featuring Houston, Seattle, and of course Carson, Denis Bouanga has his sights set on LAFC's third Golden Boot in 5 years. LAFC started out strong, peppering Takaoka w…

Filly and Scarf preview LAFC's Decision Day visit to Vancouver, British Columbia as the Black and Gold square off against the Whitecaps.By J.R. Lebert & Christian Filimon

Just a few short matches ago, we here at Defenders of the Banc were lamenting the lack of scoring, with the number of minutes without a goal reaching into the 400's. Turn the page just one week, and LAFC seemingly can't stop scoring, with 5 in their last match and now 4 today in our win at Austin. Denis Bouanga strengthen's his grip on the Golden B…

Filly and The Scarf preview LAFC's upcoming matchup w/ Austin FCBy J.R. Lebert & Christian Filimon

t shouldn't have been this hard, and it shouldn't have taken this long, but finally, LAFC has punched their ticket to the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs, and boy does it feel nice! On Episode 280, hear all about how the Black and Gold downed the Loons and booked their spot in the postseason. Turns out, Denis Bouanga is good. Really good. But even Denis Boua…

Filly and Scarf give you the Lowdown on the Loons as LAFC prepares to take on Minnesota United.By J.R. Lebert & Christian Filimon

In the span of 402 minutes, you could drive to Phoenix, Arizona and take an hour nap, or you could watch all three of the original Star Wars movies and have 15 minutes to make popcorn. For LAFC, what they can't do in that timeframe is score goals. LAFC falls, 1-0, to RSL, behind a (of course it was) Chicho Arango header. On this episode, we breakdo…

Filly and Scarf talk to the millions..... about RSL once again.By J.R. Lebert & Christian Filimon

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 t…

LAFC takes on Tigres in the Campeones Cup, a one-off match pitting last year's MLS Cup winner against last year's Campeon de Campeones in Liga MX. We know all about Andre-Pierre Gignac and Nahuel Guzman, but who else is going to be a factor on Tigres? What are the matchups to watch? And how do the Defenders think LAFC will fare in yet another chanc…

LAFC finds themselves drenched in rains of Ophelia as they squared off against the Philadelphia Union in their fortress at Subaru Park in Chester, PA. A hard fought stalemate secures LAFC another point on the road which has been a challenge all season. Follow Filly as he takes you along his quick and to the point recap of this match.…

Step right up and you'll hear a preview of LAFC's upcoming match vs the Union of Philly from our very own Filly!By J.R. Lebert & Christian Filimon

LAFC traveled to St. Louis for the very first time in club history, poised for a showdown against current West #1 St. Louis City SC. While Scarf (and Apple TV) hoped for a high-scoring affair, it turned out to be a defensive struggle in the Show Me State. It's a pod about a 0-0 game! Woo! Tested early, Maxime Crepeau made four big saves to preserve…

Filly and Scarf preview LAFC’s upcoming match w/ Western Conference Leaders, St Louis.By J.R. Lebert & Christian Filimon

The LA Derby never disappoints. Sure, the result might not always fall in our favor, but the excitement, the buildup, the anticipation, and the energy of the matchup with Carson is usually exceeded only by the football played on the pitch. It's very safe to say that, for Episode 275, this version of the derby definitely didn't disappoint. LAFC took…

Filly and Scarf preview LAFC's upcoming home match vs their bitter rivals, LA GalaxyBy J.R. Lebert & Christian Filimon

It wasn't supposed to go like this. A loss to Charlotte on the heels of Messi coming to town? Messi Magic overwhelming LAFC at home? Portland punishing LAFC at Providence Park? No, no, and NO. Here on Episode 274, we try to figure out what's rotten in the state of the Black and Gold as LAFC falls in Portland, 2-0. Yes, LAFC came into the match with…

The stage was set for a good ol'-fashioned Hollywood showdown: Messi, Busquets, Alba, and Martino against Vela, Bouanga, and the chorus of the Black and Gold Faithful. Which set of star power would show up on Apple TV's biggest night since Messi's debut? It wasn't LAFC. Jordi Alba opened his Inter Miami account, Lionel Messi dished out two assists,…

For the 1st time OMS is available via your favorite podcast platforms because this game is important. As per usual, Filly and The Scarf preview LAFC's upcoming match vs Inter Miami.By J.R. Lebert & Christian Filimon

It's Episode 272 of Defenders of the Banc, now heard in Fiji! You know what they don't have much of in Fiji? TURF! LAFC falls to yet another inferior club on turf, this time in Charlotte. Listen as we recap and rant about the road loss. LAFC played a dismal first half, falling behind 1-0 after a series of turnovers and not doing a whole lot on the …

Finally... MLS has come back... to BMO Stadium! It had been quite a while since LAFC had played an MLS regular season match at BMO, and boy did it feel good to be back! Olly's flying, Carlos is scoring, smoke is popping in the North End... the good times are back! LAFC hammers Colorado 4-0. Though it may have been a somber day in LA as we remember …

This was not how it was supposed to go. A match at the Rose Bowl? Blowing a 2-goal lead with less than 25 minutes to go? No Vela AND no Chiqui? However you slice it, it's an unceremonious exit for LAFC as they fall to Monterrey, 3-2. LAFC raced out to a 2-goal lead behind the skillful PK of Denis Bouanga and the banger of a golazo by Mati Boguesz. …