April 29, 2018.
The date alone is enough to conjure memories for even the modestly tinged Black & Gold fan.
It was a day of celebration that nearly fell flat after 90 minutes. Not a single person in the sold-out crowd at Banc of California Stadium wanted to witness a scoreless draw to christen to the new building.
Laurent Ciman carefully placed the ball on the perfectly manicured pitch in the 93rd minute. The LAFC captain slowly paced off his runup and awaited the referee’s whistle. A subtle nod as if to oblige the hopes of the crowd.
One more step back. Followed by a dipping shot that made history.
In the instant Ciman’s shot hit the back of the net, the 22,000-plus in attendance became one. United through a shared story. A memory they’ll recount over and over to those that weren’t there and reminisce with the ones that were.
It’s these stories in common that remind us what we’re missing right now. In just over two years, the Banc has left us with countless memories. All of them connect us to literally a full stadium’s worth people with the same story.
However, these are not those stories.
To celebrate the two-year anniversary of the first match at Banc of California Stadium and its opening, these are some of the lesser-known stories. Told from behind the scenes and featuring many of the shared memories we all have from those days. This is Part 2 of the two-part series of untold stories from the opening of Banc of California Stadium:
Look Out!
There’s an old saying in Hollywood, “Never work with children or animals.”
Minutes before kickoff of LAFC’s inaugural home match, Will Ferrell walked to center pitch with a falcon on his arm.
The now-famous pre-match falcon flight is a hallmark of LAFC home matches. But back in 2018, it was the first flight with a full Banc of California Stadium. It was hard to know what to expect from the falcon, from the crowd… from Will.
And either way, LAFC’s digital team would be in place to capture it. Although it almost ended in disaster.
“First game, we’re never seen this happen before. Will’s walking out and immediately, I'm sort of starstruck,” LAFC Digital Video Content Manager Lauren Terry said. “So he’s walking out. Me and [Michael] Siegel are walking with him. And I just remember, Siegs gets right in front of Will - like you’d shoot an interview.”
Will raised his arm, and after a brief pause, the falcon flapped its wings to take flight. Only instead of taking to the air, it was headed right for Siegel.
“Olly, literally, goes over his head. And I just lose it. I’m like, ‘Oh, my god! What just happen?’ And the best part is we have that shot of her coming right towards Siegs’ lens,” Terry said. “It’s this beautiful slow-mo shot of the falcon coming right towards him and he did not budge. I was just shocked she didn’t take his head off.”
Turns out, predatory birds like shiny things. Like camera lens for example. Needless to say, the digital team’s process for documenting falcon flights changed from that day forward.
“If you look at us now, we’re nowhere near the center of the bird. We’re either on the far sides or far back,” Terry said. “Occasionally, we get random people to help us shoot, whether it’s photographers and videographers, and the first thing I say to them is, ‘Don’t stand here. You have to go over there.’ And a lot of times they probably think I don’t want them to get the good shot.
“No, it’s because you will literally get your head ripped off.”
Lesson learned.
Getting The Shot At All Costs
The Hero Shot.
Every director in this town knows its value. A staple of movie-making that establishes the protagonist. It’s a blend of emotion and striking visuals.
Movies and characters can hinge on this one moment. Which is why it’s so important to get it right. It’s nearly a precise science these days.
Sports are no different. We crave heroes and villains. We need the Hero Shot.
But unlike a movie set, capturing these moments is never a coordinated choreography. Sometimes, you have to be a bit lucky and industrious.
After scoring the historic goal, Laurent Ciman sprinted to the sideline to celebrate with his teammates. As he wheeled away, the captain pounded his chest in what is now the iconic image from that night.
“I was sitting on the ground and looking through my little three-inch screen thinking whatever happens happens. And he wound up to take the shot,” Lauren Terry said of capturing the moments before Ciman’s gamewinner. “This is my job: to not lose the ball. And sure enough, for a split second, I’m like, ‘Oh, god! I’m missing it! I don’t know where it is.’”
That split second felt like an eternity. But after locating the ball just before Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei botched his save, there was little time to think.
“I quickly try to pan over to Laurent but he’s already sprinting away. I didn’t capture him running into the crowd because everyone sitting in the field seats are obviously standing up and cheering and are in front of me with my camera,” Terry said. “And I’m thinking whatever is happening right now is really cool but I’m missing it because all these people are in front of me.”
It was time to get creative. Necessity being the mother of invention, of course. Terry scrambled to remove her camera from the tripod in the middle of filming – easier said than done.
“Of course, the little thing that you use to unscrew it got stuck. So, I’m shaking, and adrenaline is pumping. I’m just trying to get my camera off,” Terry said. “But I kid you not, I know Laurent looked into my lens in that moment. You can even see it in my shot.”
It was the quintessential Hero Shot. And it almost didn’t happen.
Tiptoeing down the sideline and around fans celebrating left and right, and now literally shooting from the hip with her camera handheld, Terry knew something great was going to happen. Sometimes, it’s just right place, right time.
“I’m just thinking, ‘I can’t believe I’m capturing this right now. This is crazy. What is happening,’” Terry said. “And the 3252 is behind [Laurent]. He’s going crazy. And he’s screaming. And I’m just trying to keep focus, keep focus. Not lose it because it’s going to be great.
“And he pounds his chest on the crest. It’s so awesome. It’s something I’ll never forget.”
Practice? We Talkin’ Bout Practice?!
Three goals on three free-kicks in one season. That’s a decent haul for even the deadliest free-kick taker. For a center back? Unheard of.
But Laurent Ciman had a feeling.
The thing is he didn’t practice free kicks much… if at all.
“This is probably bad for kids to hear but I don’t really practice it,” Ciman said through a translator at LAFC’s training ground back in 2018. “I’ll hit one and if it goes in or it feels good, then I’m confident I can do it again.”
That was the case a week before when Ciman scored from nearly across the border against Montreal. After trying one in training leading up to the match, the LAFC captain knew he had it in him in a real game.
“It’s not really planned,” Ciman said. “I put the ball down and try to get a good strike on it. Luckily, it went in.”
Back in 2018, Ciman admitted that had it been closer, Carlos Vela would have probably taken the shot. But after Montreal, he had a feeling.
“I’ll keep taking them. But I guess I’ll stop if I miss badly,” Ciman said.
After back-to-back matches with goals from free kicks, Ciman scored a third and final time from a direct free-kick against Columbus.
No practice necessary.
