CONCACAF Champions League Round 1 - HOME!!!

"Annnnnd we're back at The Banc in Black" looololol the Max Bretos famous line.

Well. We are back home and the media excitement has given me fucking anxiety from how much LAFC and Rich hyped up this game.

This game had a lot of anticipation because both club and supporters did not have their best possible performances in Leon hahaha.
Remember we couldn't get our shit together in the stands, so man were we fucking ready to lose our shits.

We had a very short pregame, mid week game, we showed up at like 4:30ish and was in the stadium by 5:30... two hours before kickoff. During the pregame we chilled, hung out, caught up with people we haven't seen since last season and meeting up with friends we made in Leon... and drank beer. We chanted a bit to get the vocals loose but nothing too crazy, honestly a lot more quiet and calm than usual and it kinda gave me even more anxiety ha.

Side note. We had Purple Sheets on every seat, and some had white ones AND everyone that had the white one also had a white tee to throw on, we knew something Kobe related was coming and I was too ready. We had a really crappy song (picked by the CONCACAF) 7 Nations Army... by the White Stripes...bruh what year is it??? and how lame do they think we are to actually like this song... but whatever not the point. The purple and white sheets rise ... our tifo (banner that the supporters rise before the match starts) rises and it's a picture of Kobe and Gigi that reads Koe & Gigi Forever and we chant KOBE! KOBE! KOBE! as it banner stands tall over the North End... I maaaaaaaay or may not have shed a couple of tears. SHIT, was an unbelievable way to start this night.

Then as the banner drops... and a solid minute before kickoff happens the North End goes THE FUCK OFF with the loudest Dale Dale Black & Gold possible! I felt like I had strained my voice 45 seconds in and the true beauty of this was that we didn't even prep this, we didn't sit and talk about giving it our all, we didn't hype each other up to get this loud... it just fucking happened. It's like we knew this is what we had to do to help our club win.

Gametime... LAFC comes out STRONG and soooo intense! Chasing every ball and swarming players after losing the ball, I was immediately impressed and stoked to see them go after it. As we chanted our asses off we were all so focused on the game. Look, I am a soccer nerd so I watch AND chant the entire match, full 90 but this game, the eyes glued to the field from everyone was crazy. No one wanted to miss a second but we never stopped chanting. Also... there were like 3600 people in the North End ahahaha was more than 3,252 it was sick, gave me the South American vibe that I am always hoping for. Back to the game... Unfortunately we found out very early on that Leon was playing with their 12th man behind them as well, the fucking ref.
LAFC scored 2 goals that were called offside that were incorrect and 1 or 2 players received a yellow very early in the match... maybe not our night after all. Finally, Vela (of course it's Vela) scores a goal to put LAFC up 1-0 in the game but still down 1-2 on aggregate. The team absolutely dominates Leon all first half and they get very minimal chances... except when our keeper Vermeer almost gifted a goal to Leon by not being able to complete a pass to a defender UGH I/We almost all lost our fucking minds, that goal would have been brutal because then LAFC would have to win 4-1. Uffff, horrible scenario. Halftime, 1-0. Phenomenal performance by our team so far considering they scored 3 goals in the half.

As mentioned before, the two disallowed goals were such a punch in the gut for us because we celebrated the fuck out of those goals. You don't understand the euphoria and uncontrollable emotions of feeling "we can turn this around" then quickly taken away. I hugged people so hard and so tightly, jumped and cheered/yell with everything I had for nothing. It almost took away from our celebration when Vela actually scored, we cheered again but it was almost muffled. Onto the 2nd half.

Look I'll be honest... the 2nd half... very very mentally spotty, but not because I wasn't sober. I was pretty sober but for some reason all I can remember is chanting my fuckign ass off. Hearing the crowd go off for some of my favorite chants like "Somos el Barrio Angelino" and the stadium joining in on "Call to Arms" man what a wild 45 minutes.

LAFC still dominated but with tired legs, not sure when during the game this happened but Rossi missed a SITTER! A goal he would score 100 out of 100 times and even he knew it and we knew it, fuck we're going to think back on this moment. BUT guess who scores again... of fucking course it is Vela! Vela scored a tap in from a pass from Tristan and we lose our minds. We tied it! We turned this shit the fuck around! We are 1000% still in this and we want more!

THEN... Rossi has the ball on the left wing, he turns back like he is going to pass it back to a midfielder but then turns back towards goal and gets to the top of the box, he attempts to take the Leon defender in speed but is unsuccessful and goes for the cross.... Rossi crosses... Listen, when that ball left his foot I immediately assumed it was going to get stopped/punched/pushed away by the Leon keeper... from my angle all I can see if the keeper dive, the ball go way over his hand, the ball hits the back post and goes in... even typing this brings so much emotions and bit of tears to my eyes because it was a feeling I can't really describe. We have had unreal celebrations but this one hit different. Two leg tie in the Champions League vs the best team in Mexico, bruh this HIT DIFFERENT.

When that ball hit the back of the net... we cried, yelled, jumped, hugged, jumped while hugging and just going absolutely bonkers. I hugged and high-fived so many strangers, so many people around us and with my Outside Hooligans, we literally held each other in tears and yelled uhhhh just words idk wtf I was yelling but I know I yelled something. Turned back to see my TSG homies and I can see the pure and genuine emotion and almost a disbelief, like we're crying and hugging because we knew it could happen but it would be the biggest task LAFC has ever encountered. 3-0 in the game 3-2 on aggregate, could this really happen??? IT'S GON FOKIN HAPPEN.

It then followed 15 minutes of agony as Leon tried to attack and LAFC doing their best to hold the ball and keep Leon from attacking. I remember chanting and watching their #10 get the ball in the LAFC half and take a shot from 25 yards out and Vermeer was stunned and didn't even get a chance to see it coming, he didn't even attempt to dive, it would have been a true dagger in all of our hearts but luckily it went wide.

By the time the final whistle blew, we were already in party mode. Every song/chant was done at the top of our lungs. We all jumped together we all yelled together. We could hear the echo of everyone joining all of our chants. I remember "Call to Arms" echo throughout the stadium to the point where more tears of emotions were flowing out. It was that full stadium participation that we are always dying/begging for. As a supporter of European soccer, the drama behind all of the tournaments they have to play and the fairytale stories some teams get to ride... this was that moment for me. THIS was what it felt like knocking out an international opponent. Yeah we've beat teams in the Open Cup and even beat the Galaxy in the playoffs but this one was for us that care about the world sport, the ones that feel like are in tune with the biggest tournaments in the world... this was so much bigger. After everything that happened in Leon and all of the anxiety, hype and sleepless nights thinking about this game, it all fucking paid off in the way only LAFC can do it for all of us.

We rose together in the stands and I don't care what anyone thinks or says, we helped our team fight back. We won on the pitch and in the stands. We won this together.

Now we face Cruz Azul... sadly I am poor and can't go to Azteca but you best believe Cruz Azul will hear from the 3252 as well.