It's All Star Week in the MLS, so the boys at Defenders of the Banc thought it would be a great idea to showcase a few All Stars of our own on this surprise episode! It's Episode 49, and we couldn't think of a better All Star to have with us than Jonathan "Ultra Gringo" Reimer of the Shoulder 2 Shoulder Podcast!Four LAFC players represented well in the 2019 edition of the MLS All Star Game, as the best players in the league took on La Liga powerhouse Atletico Madrid and their $142M teenager, Joao Felix! Though the team fell to the Atleti 3-0, Diego Rossi, Mark-Anthony Kaye, Walker Zimmerman, and two-time MLS captain Carlos Vela played well for the purple team in defeat. On this episode, "Macho" Filly Savage makes another appearance, Scarf lets everyone in on the secret that Joao Felix is really good, Jonathan adds more Spanish to this one episode than the Defenders have used in their previous 48 episodes combined! There's also a bit of news around the MLS and the U.S. soccer world, as the boys talk about everything from Jill Ellis' departure to the next team in MLS (St. Louis?) to the upcoming CBA sticking points in this year's negotiations. The boys of the Defenders break down the Homegrown game vs. Chivas' U-20 team, the Skills Competition, and the All Star Game, with a very LAFC-centric perspective, of course.This episode has it all! Who is Shane Montana? Why was Mark-Anthony Kaye playing left back? Where will NEXT year's All Star Game be held? Find out all this and more on Episode 49! Filly and The Scarf also let the Defenders on a bit of HUGE news: On Saturday, August 3rd, the boys will be appearing LIVE on ESPN LA 710's very own Weekend Warrior show, hosted by L.A. legend Dr. Robert Klapper of Cedars Sinai Medical Center!Is the episode long? Sure it is. Was it a blast recording with Jonathan of Shoulder 2 Shoulder? Of course, it was! We hope you enjoy our first ever All Star episode, and that you'll tune in to our next episode after the game at Gillette Stadium against the Revolution, which also just happens to be Episode 50 of the podcast!Thank so much to everyone who has helped us to the half-century mark! So much more to come here on Defenders of the Banc, but until next time... bye bye!