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 recount a fun weekend in Solvang spent celebrating Nina’s birthday. Wineries, confetti balloons, and a few aebelskivers made for a very fun weekend, which even included running into a very good friend of the pod. They run through a few LAFC-related news and notes, including successful surgery for Mahala and potential international matches for a few of our boys in Black and Gold, and a few moments in LAFC history involving Carlos Vela off the pitch. And of course, no recent pod would be complete without an update on Brian Rodriguez and Almeria. Next week is a huge week for Almeria! The elephant in the room, however, is our loss, at home, against NYCFC. The two clubs had battled to consecutive 2-2 draws in their previous meetings, but only New York would get to two goals in this match. A somewhat humdrum first half ended scoreless, but that proved to be the calm before the storm. LAFC would draw first blood as Corey Baird slotted home a deflected Mark-Anthony Kaye pass to put the home side up a goal. After an awful turnover by Kaye, however, Jesus Medina would level the match at 1 goal apiece. After a frustrating series of missed opportunities and substitutions, NYCFC scores the winner off a corner in the 90th minute, as an offside-looking Ismael Tajouri-Shradi taps one home on the back post to grab 3 points for the away side. Despite dominating large stretches of the match, LAFC loses and the frustration continues.  Who does Scarf think LAFC could bring in to help right the ship? (It’s a real hot take) When does Filly think the decline of LAFC actually began? And what do the Defenders have in store for the international break? Tune in to Episode 148 to find out! Here’s to hoping better times are in store for LAFC!