The boys are headed to Southern California to take on the Union for the second time this year in a game that could (if other results fall correctly this week) put the Flyers into a playoff spot for the first time this season. The Union have had dismal luck against the 2012 BSL Cup winners since their entrance into the league with Rose City owning the matchup 3-0-0 on an aggregate score of 10-6.
A few important guys are missing this week, mainly due to MLS byes. Some injuries could still be an issue but it's a pretty clear roster. That's good because the Gold Cup is about to mess with rosters big time, MLS and BSL alike.
Other league games are a big deal for the Flyers this week as well. Fourth place Spartans take on a number one Alamo City side that doesn't look to be losing any time soon so a win for the Rose City could put them even on points. 1612 will likely still have a slight apg advantage but a great week by the Flyers and a dismal one in New York could flip that as well. Six points hasn't been an uncommon score of the Flyers recently. In addition, Burud Town and Orange County, who are numbers three and two respectively go head to head this week and both of them continue to look catchable. Root for the OC in this one simply because the Stags are closer to the Flyers in the standings. Finally, MCQ standings are really volatile right now as well. APG is all that separates the 4th to 6th spots on the table while teams as far up as third and as low as ninth could realistically do a lot of moving there this week. Keep your eyes open and pull for your Boys in Red.
Starters
Patrice Bernier (MTL)
Teal Bunbury (SKC)
Jaime Castrillon (COL)
Marvin Chavez (SJ)
Aurelien Collin (SKC)
Danny Cruz (PHI)
Marco Di Vaio (MTL)
Alan Gordon (SJ)
Zach McMath (PHI)
Daniel Paladini (CHI)
Martin Rivero (COL)
Subs
Eric Hassli (DAL)
Rodney Wallace (POR)
Mauro Rosales (SEA)
Reserve
Luis Robles (NY)
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Flyers Dismantle Alliance FC
Rose City 6 - 0 Alliance
The international break doesn't seem to have slowed down the Flyers. The team crushed Alliance 6 - 0 this week in what is starting to become a seasonal ritual. The winning goal was the first one from none other than Marco Di Vaio but the talk of the town this week will be the continually rising star of Rodney Wallace. After receiving a call-up from Costa Rica but seeing zero minutes on the field, the winger was only available for one of Portland's two games this week. He only needed the one, putting in an assist hattrick to earn himself Man of the Match. Those points are important too.
While the win squeaked Rose City to within three points of a playoff spot thanks to a Spartans loss to Gold Coast, the points pushed the team's APG to 3.0 for the season and 4.0 since Majors Cup Qualifying began. Those points appear more and more likely to matter as the last two BSL playoff places and all of the MCQ spots seem to be up for grabs during a rapidly closing BSL season. There are only seven weeks left to play in the regular season and the Flyers face some imminently beatable competition. Lets take a look.
Current Standings:
Five of the seven remaining opponents sit below the halfway line on the league table. Most of them have an APG of under three, and it doesn't appear to be improving. Meanwhile, Rose City has been clinging tightly to the fifth place spot for several weeks with an APG that continues to increase. As of the end of week fifteen, the Flyers hold a 3.0 APG and have been averaging 4.6 goals per game since week nine when many of the club's injured players started to return. Indeed, since that week nine game against Gateway United the Boys in Red have put up at least four points all but once and put up six points three separate times.
Our other two opponents, the Orange County Zodiac and Spartans 1612 sit above the Flyers in the league table and currently occupy playoff positions. While the Zodiac appear uncatchable with thirty-one points, the Spartans are on twenty-six and are only one win out of the Flyers' grasp. They face top-of-the-table Alamo City next week and then are under Rose City's own control in Week Seventeen. Look for the next two weeks to really define those playoff spots.
The international break doesn't seem to have slowed down the Flyers. The team crushed Alliance 6 - 0 this week in what is starting to become a seasonal ritual. The winning goal was the first one from none other than Marco Di Vaio but the talk of the town this week will be the continually rising star of Rodney Wallace. After receiving a call-up from Costa Rica but seeing zero minutes on the field, the winger was only available for one of Portland's two games this week. He only needed the one, putting in an assist hattrick to earn himself Man of the Match. Those points are important too.
Current Standings:
- Week 16: Union Southern California 9th, 5-7-3, 2.1 apg
- Week 17: Spartans 1612 4th, 8-5-2, 3.4 apg
- Week 18: Gold Coast 10th, 5-9-1, 2.5 apg
- Week 19: Capital District Gunners 8th, 5-7-3, 2.9 apg
- Week 20: Orange County Zodiac 2nd 10-4-1, 3.7 apg
- Week 21: Pennsylvania Stoners 12th, 2-12-1, 2.5 apg
- Week 22: Gateway United 7th, 5-7-3, 3.3 apg
Five of the seven remaining opponents sit below the halfway line on the league table. Most of them have an APG of under three, and it doesn't appear to be improving. Meanwhile, Rose City has been clinging tightly to the fifth place spot for several weeks with an APG that continues to increase. As of the end of week fifteen, the Flyers hold a 3.0 APG and have been averaging 4.6 goals per game since week nine when many of the club's injured players started to return. Indeed, since that week nine game against Gateway United the Boys in Red have put up at least four points all but once and put up six points three separate times.
Our other two opponents, the Orange County Zodiac and Spartans 1612 sit above the Flyers in the league table and currently occupy playoff positions. While the Zodiac appear uncatchable with thirty-one points, the Spartans are on twenty-six and are only one win out of the Flyers' grasp. They face top-of-the-table Alamo City next week and then are under Rose City's own control in Week Seventeen. Look for the next two weeks to really define those playoff spots.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Week Fifteen: Back in Action
What a brutal stretch of games the last few weeks have been. The Flyers didn't make out with all the points but are definitely still in the thick of things. That makes this week all the more important. The team visits Alliance this week and there couldn't be a better time for a pick-me-up. The Lions sit near the bottom of the league table in eleventh place and have had trouble scoring all season. Their APG is just 2.0 and that's after last week's 6-1 drubbing of the Zodiac. In fact, those six points are Alliance's best performance of the season so far.
Most everyone is back from international duty but Flyers standout man Rodney Wallace won't be back with his Portland Timbers until this weekend. Everyone else is healthy and ready to go.
Starters
Patrice Bernier (MTL)
Jaime Castrillon (COL)
Marvin Chavez (SJ)
Aurelien Collin (SKC)
Marco Di Vaio (MTL)
Alan Gordon (SJ)
Zach McMath (PHI)
Daniel Paladini (CHI)
Martin Rivero (COL)
Mauro Rosales (SEA)
Rodney Wallace (POR)
Subs
Danny Cruz (PHI)
Teal Bunbury (SKC)
Eric Hassli (DAL)
Reserve
Luis Robles (NY)
Most everyone is back from international duty but Flyers standout man Rodney Wallace won't be back with his Portland Timbers until this weekend. Everyone else is healthy and ready to go.
Starters
Patrice Bernier (MTL)
Jaime Castrillon (COL)
Marvin Chavez (SJ)
Aurelien Collin (SKC)
Marco Di Vaio (MTL)
Alan Gordon (SJ)
Zach McMath (PHI)
Daniel Paladini (CHI)
Martin Rivero (COL)
Mauro Rosales (SEA)
Rodney Wallace (POR)
Subs
Danny Cruz (PHI)
Teal Bunbury (SKC)
Eric Hassli (DAL)
Reserve
Luis Robles (NY)
Thursday, June 13, 2013
International Break Transaction
Drop Kekuta Manneh (VAN) for Teal Bunbury (SKC).
Pending league approval, Teal Bunbury will be joining fellow SKC teammate Aurelien Collin on the Flyers roster. Bunbury saw his first minutes this week in Sporting's hearbreaking 1-0 loss to Orlando City in the US Open Cup's fourth round. Bunbury's return is good for Sporting after an ACL tear in August last year left him off the field for nine-and-a-half months.
Pending league approval, Teal Bunbury will be joining fellow SKC teammate Aurelien Collin on the Flyers roster. Bunbury saw his first minutes this week in Sporting's hearbreaking 1-0 loss to Orlando City in the US Open Cup's fourth round. Bunbury's return is good for Sporting after an ACL tear in August last year left him off the field for nine-and-a-half months.
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Rose City 1 - 2 Alamo City
The league's top club had a down week, scoring only two points and yet, Rose City couldn't take advantage. The only point for the Flyers came on an Aurelien Collin shot on goal. This is by no means the end to the Flyers aspirations but it does mean that every other game this season is that much more important. Draws by both Second City and Gateway keep the Flyers in the scrum but three points here would have been a big boost.
The poor play from Seattle (once again) has hurt Mauro Rosales' production all season and the full 90' from both Bernier and Di Vaio in the Canadian Championship midweek most likely effected their ability to put points on the board in MLS play. To add insult to injury, the Flyers regular output level would have been enough to top any team in the league save Alliance this week as everyone seemed to have a low scoring week. To pile on even more, Rosales did have a glorious cross that added a point for Seattle except it came off of a Chivas defender's head rather than one of his own attackers.
Regardless of the outcome, Rose City looks forward to a two week break and will be back looking to put points on the board again once the International games are all over and done with.
The poor play from Seattle (once again) has hurt Mauro Rosales' production all season and the full 90' from both Bernier and Di Vaio in the Canadian Championship midweek most likely effected their ability to put points on the board in MLS play. To add insult to injury, the Flyers regular output level would have been enough to top any team in the league save Alliance this week as everyone seemed to have a low scoring week. To pile on even more, Rosales did have a glorious cross that added a point for Seattle except it came off of a Chivas defender's head rather than one of his own attackers.
Regardless of the outcome, Rose City looks forward to a two week break and will be back looking to put points on the board again once the International games are all over and done with.
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