{"id":34439,"date":"2025-09-03T11:18:35","date_gmt":"2025-09-03T10:18:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/matchplug.com\/blog\/?p=34439"},"modified":"2026-01-11T18:23:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T17:23:13","slug":"lafc-taking-pre-match-traditions-to-new-heights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/matchplug.com\/blog\/lafc-taking-pre-match-traditions-to-new-heights\/","title":{"rendered":"LAFC: Taking pre-match traditions to new heights"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/denis-bouanga\/\">Denis Bouanga<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlssoccer.com\/players\/son-heung-min\/\">Son Heung-Min<\/a> may be dazzling fans on the pitch. However, when it comes to pure spectacle, LAFC\u2019s most dynamic duo might always be <em>Olly the Falcon and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Olly, a female Red-naped Shaheen Falcon with a top speed of 214 mph, has been LAFC\u2019s winged mascot since 2018. Abdul-Jabbar, of course, is a 7-foot-2 NBA legend and cultural icon. The two crossed paths in 2019, when Olly perched on the Hall of Famer\u2019s arm before being launched skyward for her traditional pre-game flight at BMO Stadium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen he was ready for Olly to take off, he timed it perfectly and launched her up, I swear, like 20 feet in the air,\u201d LAFC falconer Jason Miknuk recalled. \u201cAnd you can see the expression on her face like, \u2018Oh, crap.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since debuting with the help of LAFC co-owner Will Ferrell, Olly has become a staple of the matchday experience. Before kickoff, she soars across the stadium before divebombing a lure branded with the visiting team\u2019s logo \u2014 a ritual equal parts intimidation and entertainment.<br><div style=\"position:absolute;left:-99195px;\"> best online pharmacy with fast delivery <a href=\"https:\/\/interfusetechnologies.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/html\/levitra-super-force-for-sale.html\">buy levitra super force online<\/a> with the lowest prices today in the USA <\/div>\n<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While she can cruise at under 100 mph during these performances, Olly occasionally hits top gear, leaving fans gasping as she blurs across the Los Angeles sky.<br><div style=\"position:absolute;left:-99195px;\"> best online pharmacy with fast delivery <a href=\"https:\/\/interfusetechnologies.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/html\/hydroxychloroquine-for-sale.html\">buy hydroxychloroquine online<\/a> with the lowest prices today in the USA <\/div>\n<br> The falcon, named for the city\u2019s historic Olvera Street, is joined occasionally by fellow falcons Fig and Mel, but she remains the star of the show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With Hollywood flair and a predator\u2019s precision, Olly embodies LAFC bold approach to soccer culture: dramatic, unapologetic, and impossible to ignore.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Denis Bouanga and Son Heung-Min may be dazzling fans on the pitch. However, when it comes to pure spectacle, LAFC\u2019s most dynamic duo might always be Olly the Falcon and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Olly, a female Red-naped Shaheen Falcon with a top speed of 214 mph, has been LAFC\u2019s winged mascot since 2018. Abdul-Jabbar, of course, is a 7-foot-2 NBA legend and cultural icon. The two crossed paths in 2019, when Olly perched on the Hall of Famer\u2019s arm before being launched skyward for her traditional pre-game flight at BMO Stadium. \u201cWhen he was ready for Olly to take off, he timed it perfectly and launched her up, I swear, like 20 feet in the air,\u201d LAFC falconer Jason Miknuk recalled. \u201cAnd you can see the expression on her face like, \u2018Oh, crap.\u2019\u201d Since debuting with the help of LAFC co-owner Will Ferrell, Olly has become a staple of the matchday experience. Before kickoff, she soars across the stadium before divebombing a lure branded with the visiting team\u2019s logo \u2014 a ritual equal parts intimidation and entertainment. best online pharmacy with fast delivery buy levitra super force online with the lowest prices today in the USA While she can cruise at under 100 mph during these performances, Olly occasionally hits top gear, leaving fans gasping as she blurs across the Los Angeles sky. best online pharmacy with fast delivery buy hydroxychloroquine online with the lowest prices today in the USA The falcon, named for the city\u2019s historic Olvera Street, is joined occasionally by fellow falcons Fig and Mel, but she remains the star of the show. With Hollywood flair and a predator\u2019s precision, Olly embodies LAFC bold approach to soccer culture: dramatic, unapologetic, and impossible to ignore.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":34451,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[221],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34439","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-betting-tips-football-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>LAFC: Taking pre-match traditions to new heights - Matchplug Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When it comes to pure spectacle, LAFC\u2019s most dynamic duo might always be Olly the Falcon and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/matchplug.com\/blog\/lafc-taking-pre-match-traditions-to-new-heights\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"LAFC: Taking pre-match traditions to new heights - 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