* Hey LAFC fam, with coronavirus going on and all of us are locked up at home, I'm going to attempt to write a few blogs, so we can all get our LAFC fix. We all miss LAFC games, watch parties, tailgates, and all of our LAFC family. But we all need to stay home and be safe. Hopefully this can help my fellow LAFC supporters.
When I originally had the idea of "The LAFC Punk" I really wanted to do a podcast. But due to the fact I do not own my own personal laptop (I often write these blogs on my phone in a coffee shop), I did not own any eqiupment (except for a mic, thank you Portland Paul, I desire to use it so bad), and I had no idea how to record a podcast, I never was able to do a podcast. My vision for the podcast was to of course cover LAFC but I also wanted to cover the cross cultures of punk music/culture and football. I also wanted to interview the people behind the 3252, which I have already done on this blog. I first had the passion to do a LAFC/Punk podcast way back to the beginning of the 2018 season. But like I said I did not really have the resources, I even had a opening song for the podcast; "The Drug is Football" by Vanilla Muffins.
Even though I was never able to do the podcast, we LAFC fans/supporters are extremely fortunate to have a a lot amazing podcast that we are able to listen to and I'm going to do a review on each one. I've been very blessed and privileged to get to become friends with a few of the people who do these wonderful podcast and have had my voicemails and have called in to one of them (Heart of LAFC) and still working on being on Shoulder to Shoulder podcast, and for any other podcast, even a non LAFC podcast I'm willing to be on any podcast, to discuss football, punk rock or both, just DM me. I think one of the most impressive and great things about all these LAFC podcast, is that it's an LAFC Podcast family, hence the LAFC Pod Fam (which I desired to be part of). There is no rivalry among the other podcast, in fact they mention each other and their own podcast and will even have each other on as guests. Sometimes if you are walking through Christmas Tree Lane during a tailgate you will see, Filly, The Scarf, Josef, Jerry, among others having beers together and just having a great time before a match, trust me it happens because I've been among the group talking about our love and passion for LAFC.
The first podcast I want to mention is "Heart of LAFC" podcast, the reason why I picked them first is because they are the Godfathers, the forefathers, the grand daddies of the podcast, Heart of LAFC was the first LAFC podcast, they having been doing shows way before LAFC even took the field, even before the Banc was built, they were their when the team was announced at LA Union Station they were there when the stadium was being built, they were there when Diego Rossi scored the first goal against the Sounders, they were on the field for the Supporters Shield trophy presentation, and they are still cover our beloved LAFC now. Jerry Jimenez and Josef Zacher are the host of the original LAFC podcast. Both Jerry and Josef are very well spoken and give incredible insight to everything LAFC. Heart of LAFC you can always depend on to get perspective from two guys who have a true passion for LAFC and for football. Josef is truly the guru of all things football (soccer), he knows the history of MLS and he could most likely tell you about a player, playing for a 4th division club in England. Josef and Jerry do an outstanding job at breaking down each match, and giving a honest and unbiased opinion on the club. One segment I enjoy that I've been part of is taking voicemails. Lately they have been doing their podcast live on YouTube on Monday nights, but if you can't watch the live YouTube feed the show is uploaded for you to listen on your way to work the next morning. On a side note I've been fortunate to become friends with Jerry and Josef, if you ever see them at Christmas Tree lane or at the Banc, say hi to them they'll always take time to talk about LAFC.
If you grew up the Los Angeles area there were two great morning great morning rock shows; Mark and Brian on KLOS and Kevin and Bean on KROQ, Filly and the Scarf are the LAFC version of those great radio jockeys. Filly and the Scarf are two friends who are season seat holders, who sit next to each other and have a wonderful podcast. Of all the podcasts this is the only one that I've been listening to since episode 1, and I haven't missed a podcast since the beginning. Defenders of the Banc, is a fun family friendly podcast, that's great to listen on your way to the Banc. Of course they give game reviews that are always great, but they also have great regular segments. One segment that's always fun is; "Today (this week) in LAFC history", I'm one of the few that miss this week in LA sports history, being that I'm also a fan of the; Kings, Dodgers, Lakers and Rams. Filly and the Scarf are always fun and entertaining, and give wonderful insight on all things LAFC. They also have great guests on their show, from people who are part of the 3252 to players. Also if you ever at the tailgate they have their own tent, and always take time to talk to the millions and millions of their fans (oh yea I love their wrestling references being a a long time wrestling fan myself). They usually do a podcast as soon as they get home from a match at the Banc or right after they get home from whatever watch party they attended from a road match (us Empire Boys are still waiting for you guys to come out to one of our parties). They always have great post game reaction to every match. Even now during our coronavirus lock down they are doing podcasts, which we all truly appreciate. Defenders of the Banc also have the occasional guest, which have included players, front office staff, musicians, and other LAFC supporters. This is a podcast for the entire family, Filly and the Scarf are the morning radio DJs of LAFC.
Shoulder to Shoulder podcast, is a podcast that's not so much about the football and the club, but Shoulder to Shoulder is a podcast that's by the supporters, about the supporters. I love this podcast it's kind of what I had in my mind for the podcast I wanted to do. The guys that host Shoulder to Shoulder represent a variety of SGs of the 3252, in fact one of them Jonathan aka boozeology I have interviewed. Speaking of Jonathan, he has such an amazing vocabulary and should be a professional speaker. Shoulder to Shoulder gets to know those of us who support the club we all love and adore; LAFC. They interview a variety of people who are part of the 3252, along with others who are part of the LAFC family. Shoulder to Shoulder podcast truly represents how the LAFC fan base, is not just a fan base for a professional sports team, but we are a family. They close every single podcast by asking the guest or guests; "What does Shoulder to Shoulder mean to you'? Well here's my answer; oh wait you'll just have to wait until I'm a guest on their wonderful podcast.
FCFC, if you are looking for a podcast in which they go deep into the play on the field and break down each pass, goal, substitution; this is not the podcast for you. I love this podcast, the guys of FCFC, go into the sub cultures of football. One of the many great things about the sport we all love is there are so many cultures and sub cultures that love the same sport, yet we all have other things we love and we can combine those things with football. They hang out in a backyard in Expo Park and interview a variety of guests who are LAFC supporters, but they also have other passions; such as, music, art, food, and even tea (I really want to try some tea). One sub culture they haven't interviewed anyone on, is punk music and football (I know someone if you're looking, I know his schedule too). Now this is not a podcast to listen to around your kids or around those who do not care for foul language, sorry guys I don't have you on when my daughters (5 and 7 years old) are in the car, they do mention this at the beginning of each podcast, but like I said it's a great podcast.
The Counter Press Podcast is probably the most in depth analyst you will hear. The hosts of the podcast break down everything. They do two separate post podcast on every match. The Counter Press will do a instant reaction to each match, then a couple days later they will do a very in depth analyst on the previous match. These guys do a spectacular job on their analyst of matches. In my opinion these two guys should be hired by a team to break down each game and to scout the next team they will be playing. So if you're a high school, college, or pro club you should hire these guys.
Inside LAFC is a great name for this podcast. This podcast is hosted by the TV voice of LAFC Max Bretos and Vince La Rosa the head writer (a dream job of my) for LAFC, as well as the on field post interviewer at LAFC home matches, along with doing some great digital work for LAFC. So these two guys truly have inside scope for everything LAFC. Max and Vince are a great team, they truly cover LAFC in every way. Max and Vince cover what's going on, on and off the field, along with great guests and interviews. Inside LAFC is another great podcast you can listen to in the car as a family on your way to the Banc to see LAFC or listen to on your headphones on the Metro on the way to the Banc, which is something I've done. Max has been covering the beautiful game for a while now, in fact I once heard him say he called a Gold Cup Final between Canada and Colombia, on a very rainy day at the LA Coliseum, I was at that match. Both Max and Vince have great knowledge on football throughout the whole world.
Now this podcast is not a podcast it's a awesome YouTube channel, these guys and gal blow me away by what they are doing. Please check out their channel, I have the link right below their logo. Not only does their content blow me away, which entertaining, great highlights, they even go eat cheese steaks and tacos. But the team of 110 football are high school age kids. These guys have such a great future ahead of them. I can't wait for the season to continue, so these guys can continue to do more videos. Keep up the great work guys.
In closing in no way do I think any of these podcast are more better than another podcast, they are all unique in their own way, and the is a podcast for LAFC fan. Thank you to all you guys who do these podcasts, and to those who I'm already friends with thank you for friendship, for those I haven't met yet I look forward to meeting you and striking a friendship.
This blog is dedicated to the loving memory of the "Are We LAFC" podcast, the most foul mouthed honest LAFC podcast there was, we miss you...
First off sorry it's been a while since I've written a blog I've had a lot of personal stuff right now which is my main focus right now. But once things are settled there will be a lot more content. Thanks again for all the feedback and positive response I'm truly blown away.
A few months back I went to a LA Kings game, before the game I bumped into Sean Parkita a member and leader of the 3252 LAFC supporter Tigers Suppers Group. Then as the game started of all the 18'000 seats in Staples Center we ended up sitting right next to each other, so I decided to interview him, in between the 1st and 2nd periods. But before I do that I'd like to write about a LA sports legend, who we tragically lost on Sunday January 26, 2020; Kobe Bryant.
It's crazy that my blog that is a tribute to the great Kobe Bryant is a interview with Sean Parkita, who is a huge Kobe Bryant fan. Something about Sean not only is he a LAFC supporter, he is one of the biggest LA sports fans you will ever meet. Not only is he a big LAFC supporter; Sean loves the; Lakers, Kings, Rams and Dodgers. Kobe Bryant was a huge influence and a hero to Sean, so Sean I'm sorry for the loss of one of your heroes, I find it fitting that the blog featuring is also features and is tribute to your hero Kobe Bryant, I hope and pray this will help and heal the pain you're going through.
In 1996 I graduated from high school, that same year the Los Angeles Lakers acquired Kobe Bryant from the Charlotte Hornets, right after the Hornets drafted Bryant the Lakers traded Vlade Divac. I remember here's this kid who just graduated high school like myself and he's going off to play for the Lakers and I'm going to go work at KMart. Growing up in the Los Angeles area, the Lakers are a huge part of Los Angeles, and I grew up watching the Showtime Lakers, and since the early 90's the Lakers were just no longer that dominant club we all knew. Then came Kobe, and a lot of us Lakers fans, saw something in this kid, that we knew was going to bring the Laker legacy back to the NBA. His first few seasons in the league were rocky. Then the Lakers moved to Staples Center in 1999, and for the first 3 years, the Lakers were in Staples Center the Lakers were NBA Champions. I'm not going to go in great detail about his career, mainly because this is a LAFC blog, but Kobe was LA. I think one of my favorite Kobe Bryant moments was game 7 of the Western Conference Finals against the Portland Trail Blazers. At one point the Lakers were down 16 points. The Lakers came back and of course won the game, but what sealed the deal was a alley-oop pass from Kobe to Shaq to but the game away. I remember watching that in the living and just jumping off the couch screaming.
Other than graduating high school the same year as Kobe, another way I was able to relate was that he was a father of daughters. I myself have to beautiful, amazing daughters. I heard Kobe interviewed and he mentioned how he wanted all daughters, and being a dad to daughters was the best thing. I have to completely agree with that, I always wanted daughters, in fact it was in 7th grade English class that I had my first daughter's name picked out; Gloria, named after my Grandma. He was a huge fan of women's sports. After I had daughters I pay much more attention to women's sports. I remember watching the US Women's hockey team win the gold medal game with my daughter and she told me; "Daddy I want to be like those girls and win a gold medal." She often asks me if we can go to a women's sporting game, perhaps this year I'll take her to a Sparks game. I'm also hoping to see the NWSL, come to Los Angeles. I find it so heart breaking that his daughter Gigi lost her life as well along with 7 others. But as tragic as it was, I can't bear to think how Gigi would had been without her dad, of all his daughters she was the most like him, they had a special bond and they both had a love for basketball and drive to be the best. RIP to all of those who lost their lives that day.
So like I had mentioned earlier this season I was at a Kings game and I bumped into Sean Parkita of the the LAFC supporter group Tigers Supporter Group (side note we've also bumped into each other at a Dodgers game as well). I was in my old season seats which a friend has now, in section 308 (right below the Lakers banners and jerseys), where I've been sitting for around 17 years. We ended up sitting right next to each other, so I interviewed during the 1st intermission. During the game and the dance cam they showed a guy in the crowd who had lots of passion, Sean and I joked around and said we should go recruit him for the 3252. We also both agreed that there's nothing better in LA than being at a LAFC game in the 3252. Now if you've ever been to a LAFC tailgate on Christmas Tree lane you either know Sean or have seen him running around having a great time with his fellow LAFC supporters. Sean is part of TSG, a Korean LAFC supporter group. This is something that's so awesome about the 3252 family, we have all races, groups, girls, guys, we are one giant family. I've said it before my SG (Empire Boys) is my immediate family, while the other SG are like cousins, I call TSG my Korean cousins. Like I said there are not too many people who loves their Los Angeles sports teams more than Sean, follow him on instagram TSG_Parkita and you will see that. The interview was short, mainly because we were in Staples Center; the house that Kobe built.
LAFC Punk: Introduce your self real quick
Sean: My name is Sean TSG Parkita, part of Tigers Supporters Group
LAFC Punk: What got you into football?
Sean: My family has always watched the Korean National Team, my first real football memory would be the Brandi Chastain game, in 1999 so that would be my first real dive into football, what really made it for me was the 2002 World Cup and that was it, so ever since then it's been a very interesting journey to LAFC.
LAFC Punk: Usually I write out my questions but we just happened to be sitting next to each other at Staples, so I'm just thinking of questions on top of my head. What SG are you part of?
Sean: TSG, TSG stands for Tigers Supporters Group, the reason why we picked Tigers is because the Tiger real close to Korea culture, it's basically the national animal of Korea, I'm actually not sure about the truth of this statement, but it's very close to the hearts of Korean people.
LAFC Punk:
Do you have any role in TSG?
Sean: I just became part of the leadership of TSG recently so everything is kind of new on how things are run, it's very fun. I'm here for the long haul.
LAFC Punk:
Being that we are at a LA Kings game, we can testify, as I sit here I'm thinking; "I'd rather be in the 3252 right now. What makes a LAFC game different than any other LA sporting event?
Sean:
Being in the North End has given me a perspective that I can't argue with, like the 3252 is probaly the best thing in Los Angeles at a sporting event, right now. When you're in there you feel this passion and if you do it right the passion comes out of you, you feel it through out your whole body, I know that's a weird way to put it. It's almost tribal, it's like family you have a sense of connection with everyone, not only your city but also the people you stand with. It's like a community, but it's more than that.
LAFC Punk:
I heard recently that there is going to be a new Korean chant, do you have any information on that (side note this took place on October 17, 2019)
Sean:
We are working on it and that's all I'm going to say.
LAFC Punk:
What does being part of the 3252 mean to you?
Sean:
That's a deep question to ask at a Kings game. But in the beginning I just wanted to see whats it was all about. When we started playing in 2018 I started going to all the games, I started to dive into the culture, when I started realizing what it was it became everything to me. My life no longer revolves around the Kings anymore, it revolves around LAFC now.
LAFC Punk:
I'm the exact same way.
Sean:
It's kind of funny, it's not just us, it's like that within the entire North End and the LAFC community, I've meet so many people who have said the same thing, about the Kings, Dodgers, Lakers, but now LAFC has taken that, it's kind of funny how that works.
