Week Twenty: Freebies?

Last week didn't go as planned. The Flyers triumphant return to the post-season will have to wait at least another week or two thanks to a Landon Donovan hattrick and some poor luck versus Gateway United. That said, the week wasn't all bad. The team is still very much in contention for a spot in the Majors Cup (2nd place currently), maintained their place on the league table (5th, though the breathing room is all but gone), and picked up DaMarcus Beasley who, while he might contribute before the season's out, really bodes well for next season more than anything.

This week Burud Town comes to play, maybe. They haven't posted a lineup in almost a month and honestly, the Flyers will take it since the only two games remaining after than are versus the Battle and Zodiac.

Starters
Eric Alexander
Giles Barnes
Aurelien Collin
Marco Di Vaio
Diego Fagundez (C)
Jordan Harvey
Jeff Larentowicz
Peguy Luyindula
Drew Moor
Lamar Neagle
Jaime Penedo (GK)
Maxi Urruti

Subs
Rodney Wallace
DaMarcus Beasley
Peguy Luyindula

Reserve
Jair Benítez

Acquisition

Just a quick note for now. The club will be dropping Ned Grabavoy to make space for DaMarcus Beasley. Expect a full write-up in the near future.

Week Nineteen Lineup

The long slog to the finish line starts now and the Flyers could use a few more points, especially before those tough final two weeks. The schedule for MLS is a bit strange this week so there are some notable faces that won't take the field including Barnes and Alexander but you play with who you've got.

A win this week coupled with a loss by the CD Gunners clinches a place in the Majors Cup. Cross your fingers!

Starters
Aurelien Collin
Marco Di Vaio
Diego Fagundez
Ned Grabavoy
Jordan Harvey
Jeff Larentowicz
Drew Moor
Lamar Neagle
Jaime Penedo (GK)
Maxi Urruti (C)
Rodney Wallace

Subs
Jair Benítez
Eric Alexander
Giles Barnes

Reserve
Peguy Luyindula

Flyers Push Majors Cup Advantage

Rose City 5 - 3 Gold Coast

The Flyers took another major step toward some sort of post season appearance this week with another win. This time, they defeated Gold Coast and, in the process, put themselves four points clear of their nearest playoff rival and took first place in Majors Cup Qualifying. This was also the Flyers 30th win all time and tenth this season.

"We're in our third year in the league and we're averaging ten wins a season at the moment. That's pretty good if you ask me," the Flyers general manager said when asked. "We've still got four weeks to go too. There's a lot of room to add to the team's reputation as a top club in the league."

Next week, Rose City faces Gateway United who sit exactly four points back in the Honors Trophy table. Winning there could go a long way toward earning the Boys in Red their first simultaneous appearance in both post-season tournaments.

Week Eighteen: Back on the Horse

Okay. So last week wasn't so good. Usually in this league, scoring eight points is as close to a lock for a win as exists (aside from playing Ohio I guess) but it wasn't enough. On the bright side, the team's clearly capable, and they've gotten stronger in the last couple weeks with the pickup of Luyindula and Benítez. So it's all going on the line now. The team still sits (precariously) on playoff position and their MCQ standings look good. A few more wins and some things will start solidifying. For now, this week is Gold Coast who sit at 6-10-1 and 19pts on the season. Ten of those however, have come since Majors Cup Qualifying started so underestimating them could be dangerous.

Starters
Eric Alexander
Giles Barnes
Jair Benítez
Aurelien Collin
Marco Di Vaio
Diego Fagundez
Jordan Harvey
Jeff Larentowicz
Drew Moor
Jaime Penedo (GK)
Maxi Urruti

Subs
Rodney Wallace
Peguy Luyindula
Ned Grabavoy


Reserve
Lamar Neagle

Streak Ends with a Bang

Rose City 8 - 9 CD Gunners

Results don't lie, even if the main MLS page does and Rose City dropped three points this week. This game is the new league record holder for most points scored (topping even some Majors Cup games). The Gunners, it must be said are either lucky or good to get a hattrick from the aging former Flyer Rosales as well as a brace from Tierney who's been on the team less than a week. Still, even in a gunshow like this, someone's likely to lose.

Big plays came from some important places however including a Giles Barnes brace and a keeper brace by Jaime Penedo. Eight points is better than every score by the Flyers all year barring Week Nine. It's a lot of energy (and looks good for the team in the long run) but sadly nets nothing (except and APG increase) this week. Look for things to get even tighter in the run to the end of the season.

In addition, pending league approval, the Flyers will be swapping teammates. Drop Raul Fernandez and pick up Jair Benítez.

Week Seventeen: Stringing them Together

Here's where things get really interesting folks. The Flyers play the CD Gunners this week and, though the Gunners haven't had the strongest season, they're not slouches either. Playoff positions are tight and points are needed to make up for the start of the season if the boys are to stay where they are in that race.

MCQ standings are a different story. The Flyers share the top spot with Orange County and are seven points up on their closest competitors. That hasn't clinched a spot just yet, with six weeks left in the season, but it does provide some breathing room and a good hope that the Boys in Red will see some sort of postseason action. Stay tuned for this one.

Starters
Eric Alexander
Giles Barnes
Aurelien Collin
Marco Di Vaio
Diego Fagundez (C)
Jordan Harvey
Jeff Larentowicz
Peguy Luyindula
Drew Moor
Lamar Neagle
Jaime Penedo (GK)

Subs
Rodney Wallace
Ned Grabavoy
Maxi Urruti

Reserve
Raul Fernandez

Luyindula arrives in the Rose City

After a surprisingly short discussion with Second City, Peguy Luyindula will be arriving for the price of $12 in allocation cash. He's expected to bolster the abilities of the squad to compete in the last few weeks of the regular season plus increasingly likely post-season play.

New York's Peguy Luyindula

"With the approaching trade deadline, we felt it was important given our late season run to add some firepower. Peguy has already contributed a few goals this season and should but in a few more. Pending league approval, we'll be happy to see him wearing Rose City red," the Flyers manager added when asked about the transfer. "Allocation cash has made it increasingly difficult to find strong players as free transfers since now, signing a big name transfer only requires cash and the slot from your lowest performing player. Before, you would have a sort of cascade effect where strong league performers would be released anytime a bigtime DP would transfer in. We're just trying to find new ways of picking up power late in the season."

Rose City will be dropping New England's Saer Sene who, while a strong player, hasn't received enough minutes to make a true impact this season to make roster space.

Just Keep Rolling

Rose City 2 - 0 Pennsylvania

Count the Flyers lucky on this one. Scoring only two goals is a quick way to lose games in the BSL but Giles Barnes and Eric Alexander got it done this week. That puts the Flyers riding a seven game winning streak back into relevance headed into a big match against the CD Gunners with just six weeks left in the season. Expecting the streak to end sooner, rather than later is a good idea but a loss next week could drop the Boys in Red back out of the playoff race. A few more wins will be required to really lock things up this season.

MCQ standings are a bit more solid. The Rose City continues to share the honor of only remaining club undefeated in qualifying with the OC Zodiac and the next two teams trail by seven points each. That's not an iron-clad grip yet, but with the weeks winding away quickly it could turn into one without much notice. Expect the next few weeks to really resolve things for a lot of teams in both sets of standings.

Week Sixteen: Looking for Seven

The Flyers are on a six game winning streak. It's really the only reason that the Boys in Red are still relevant this season, but that doesn't change the fact that they're planning to make a run for it. Currently sitting in fifth which is the last (and new) playoff position for the Honors Trophy, it'll take a lot of luck and some skill too to stay relevant there. The streak has, however made the MCQ a more realistic possibility. The Flyers are one of two undefeated teams left in MCQ and will retain their second place position there even if they lose this week.

This week's opponent is the long-running Pennsylvania Stoners and the series is currently tied 3-3. The Stoners have had a rough season and can't really catch the Flyers anywhere on the table, however three points are pretty needed to stay in place for the Honors Trophy. Capital District is currently two points ahead with Gateway just one behind. Lots of possible positions could change based on this match and a few others.

Starters
Eric Alexander
Giles Barnes
Aurelien Collin
Marco Di Vaio
Diego Fagundez (C)
Jordan Harvey
Drew Moor
Lamar Neagle
Jaime Penedo (GK)
Maxi Urruti
Rodney Wallace

Subs
Jeff Larentowicz
Saer Sene
Ned Grabavoy

Reserve
Raul Fernandez