Transaction: Team Building

Assuming front office approval, Rose City drops Frederic Piquionne (POR) and picks up Kekuta Manneh (VAN).

Week Nine: Getting Results

Rose City 6 - 5 Gateway United

Rose City finally lived up to its potential this season by dropping six points on Gateway United. The win evened up the lifetime series versus the Saints at 2-2-0 and marks the second high-scoring game in a row versus them after a 7-0 drubbing in the playoff semis last season.

Points came from everywhere this weekend showing that the team is built to score in a much more spectacular fashion than had been previously shown. A goal from Marco Di Vaio is expected and a save point from McMath is nice but the real story here is Rodney Wallace and Aurelien Collin. Both of these gentlemen were undrafted at the beginning of the season but steady minutes from Sporting and the Timbers respectively have made them plenty dangerous. Collin scored last week and Wallace has been threatening with several lasers from distance for a week or two as well. Three points of Collin was the crowning glory this weekend.

Collin celebrates his BSL hattrick.

This team is finally getting to where it should have been all season. Martin Rivero saw his first minutes of the season versus Houston this week, Marvin Chavez is finally back to full strength, and Alan Gordon has two more weeks on his slur induced suspension. It looks like this team really will hit the ground running for the second half of the season  and make a good challenge for a spot in the Majors Cup. The next two weeks are forgiving as well. Week ten features last season's nemesis the Pennsylvania Stoners still sitting in last place at 1-7-1. The week after sees Capital District come to town who at 1-5-3 are having what the league discribes as a "nightmare season". If the Boys in Red can take six points off of these two teams and head into the second half of the season on a three game winning streak and on sixteen points overall, it's reasonable to think they might just still be in it.

Week Nine: Gateway and Transaction

Gateway United is another strong team that's been struggling early this season. They've picked up some points in the last couple matches though, so this one is important for Rose City. It's crunch time. If the Boys in Red can't start picking up points and rapidly climb the table, half a season isn't going to enough to end up back in the playoffs.

The good news is this, most of the injuries are over. Martin Rivero is looking good to return in another week or two. Alan Gordon is healthy but took himself out for another three weeks. Marvin Chavez played his first minutes last week versus Portland and should only look more and more dangerous from here on out. Seattle has a bye this week, but most of the team should be available in the next one to two weeks. Then, finally, we can see what this team can do as it's currently assembled.

Starters
Patrice Bernier (MTL)
Marvin Chavez (SJ)
Aurelien Collin (SKC)
Marco Di Vaio (MTL)
Michael Harrington (POR)
Zach McMath (PHI)
Daniel Paladini (CHI)
Frederic Piquionne (POR)
Martin Rivero (COL)
Danny Cruz (PHI)
Rodney Wallace (POR)

Subs
Alan Gordon (SJ)
David Estrada (SEA)
Mauro Rosales (SEA)

Reserve
Luis Robles (NY)

In addition, the Flyers are dropping Chris Tierney (NE) for Danny Cruz (PHI).

Transaction

Pending league approval, Rose City drops Frederic Piquionne (POR) for Michel Garbini (DAL).

Rose City 1 - 1 Zodiac

Rose City continues to have trouble putting enough points on the board to squeak out wins but perhaps a tie versus the usually high scoring Zodiac was the most to be hoped for this week. Aurelien Collin showed his class with his score this week and he'll need to do even more for this team to pull itself out of the cellar.

Collin asks for some supporter input.

The last few weeks have been rough, ending up on the wrong side of a pair of 2-1 results. In many ways, this season mirrors the last except with Rose City on the wrong side. Last year's Championship team stayed on the right side of the table in the early-mid season by winning several one point games.

The lack of a solid keeper continues to plague the Flyers even after acquiring Luis Robles and though Patrice Bernier has been a big addition, Jack McInerney is making his own statement playing for someone else. Someone needs to start scoring consistently (and bye weeks need to be more forgiving). Marvin Chavez got his first look at the field this week and seemed solid enough that a start for his next match seems likely. Alan Gordon remains suspended and won't be back for three more weeks.

All in all, the Flyers have had some of the worst luck of any team this season. However, building the team on the backs of a bunch of broken players was perhaps not the best strategy to begin with. The next three weeks are games against Gateway, Pennsylvania, and Capital District who are all having rough seasons themselves. Perhaps it's time for the Boys in Red to go collect some points.

Week Eight Lineup

Last week was a loser, but once again only by a little. Watch this space for more analysis. Suffice it to say that Alan Gordon's red in Portland made this Timbers fan happy. However, it's making a lineup that was starting to come together awkward once again. He's out for four weeks.

EDIT: Now some late thoughts. It already appears that Aurelien Collin was a smart pickup. He's currently put the Flyers up 1-0 over the Zodiac who are this week's opponent. That's all the more important because this year's expansion club seems to be capable of putting up quite a few points no matter what's going on. We're going to need all hands on deck to pull this one out and none of our impact players from Montreal (pun intended) are available. Good news is that it appears that Marvin Chavez will be available this week. Hopefully he won't walk into a well-deserved red card the way Gordon did last week.


Starters
Marvin Chavez (SJ)
Aurelien Collin (SKC)>
David Estrada (SEA)
Michael Harrington (POR)
Zach McMath^ (PHI)
Daniel Paladini (CHI)
Frederic Piquionne (POR)
Martin Rivero (COL)
Mauro Rosales* (SEA)
Chris Tierney (NE)
Rodney Wallace (POR)

Subs
Patrice Bernier (MTL)
 Marco Di Vaio (MTL)
Alan Gordon (SJ)

Reserve
Luis Robles (NY)

Transaction

Pending the end of week seven play and league approval, drop Sanna Nyassi and pick up Daniel Paladini (CHI).

Week Seven Lineup

Last week, a badly depleted Rose City still came within one point of a tie versus a middling Alliance squad. The 2-1 loss hurt, but the goal in the near term remains staying in the hunt as players return from injury. Alan Gordon started his first game last week with a point after playing a few minutes the previous week. Teammate Marvin Chavez and Colorado's Martin Rivero both look to be returning in the next two weeks or so as well. Finally Portland, Montreal, and Seattle both play this week. The play from newly acquired keeper Luis Robles is troubling, but Philly's Zach McMath is still with the team even while he engenders little confidence himself. Look for the Flyers to be competitive with Gold Coast this week and get back to .500.

Starters
Patrice Bernier (MTL)
Marco Di Vaio (MTL)
David Estrada (SEA)
Alan Gordon (SJ)
Michael Harrington (POR)
Zach McMath^ (PHI)
Sanna Nyassi (MTL)
Frederic Piquionne (POR)
Mauro Rosales* (SEA)
Chris Tierney (NE)
Rodney Wallace (POR)

Subs
Marvin Chavez (SJ)
Martin Rivero (COL)
Aurelien Collin (SKC)

Reserve
Luis Robles (NY)

Week Six Lineup

This week's gonna take some work; that's for sure. Montreal has a bye week in MLS which means no Marco Di Vaio and no Patrice Bernier. Sanna Nyassi's out of the question as well. Seattle too is not playing this week due to CCL commitments so you won't see Mauro Rosales either. That means that, once again, the Boys in Red are looking a little thin. Not everything is bad news though. Alan Gordon got limited minutes last week and is expected to see even more (maybe even starting) this week with San Jose. Winning this game would continue a great trend for Rose City, leaving the team at .500 and in a good position to head up the table as more of the injured players return to their respective lineups. Alliance is at the same record and, generally speaking, has had issues scoring this season so it's not impossible to see the Flyers come out with a "W".

Starters
Marvin Chavez (SJ)
Aurelien Collin (SKC)
David Estrada (SEA)
Alan Gordon (SJ)
Michael Harrington (POR)
Frederic Piquionne (POR)
Martin Rivero (COL)
Luis Robles (NY)
Mauro Rosales (SEA)
Rodney Wallace (POR)

Subs
Patrice Bernier (MTL)
Marco Di Vaio (MTL)
Sanna Nyassi (MTL)

Reserves
Zach McMath (PHI)