Round 1 of the 2019 edition of the Battle for Los Angeles took place in Carson last night, and with that comes the newest episode of Defenders of the Banc, featuring your boys, Christian "Filly" Filimon and "The Scarf" J.R. Lebert.It was deja vu all over again as Carson defeated the Black and Gold (and camouflage?) of LAFC, 3-2. It was a tale of two all stars. Two goals by captain Carlos Vela were not enough to secure victory, as Zlatan Ibrahimovic earned Man of the Match honors with his hat trick. It was a game full of physicality, emotion, and, ultimately, frustration for the fans of LAFC, as our inability to beat our hated rivals now stretches to four games. Tyler Miller made several tough saves to keep us in the game, Mohamed El-Munir and Lee Nguyen provided a much-needed boost to a sagging offense, and The 3252 again showed why both our team and our fans are the "Best in the West and the Best in the MLS." It proved to be too little, too late, however, as the clock ran out on LAFC in Carson with the away squad down a goal.LAFC has no time to lick their wounds. The reigning MLS champions, Atlanta United, make their first trip to the Banc in one week. Will there be changes to the starting lineup? Will Carlos Vela be named captain of the All Star game for the second straight year? Will we ever see Alejandro Guido on the pitch? All these burning questions and more could be answered on a future episode of Defenders of the Banc!Thanks for listening, and thanks for the support! We are all... Defenders of the Banc!