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

Week Eighteen: The Math Tightens

Week Seventeen was a bit of a let down. The Flyers really needed all three points and instead got a tie. The season's math is getting really tight incredibly fast. Conclusions about what worked and what hasn't this season are starting to be drawn. While the Boys in Red aren't by any means eliminated, they're going to have to find a way to win the last couple and have some other results go their way. It's gonna be a squeaker folks.

Finally, Gold Cup call-ups continue to plague the Flyers, making squad selection much more problematic than it otherwise would be.

Starters
Jalil Anibaba (CHI)
Patrice Bernier (MTL)
Teal Bunbury (SKC)
Jaime Castrillon (COL)
Aurelien Collin (SKC)
Danny Cruz (PHI)
Marco Di Vaio (MTL)
Alan Gordon (SJ)
Zach McMath (PHI)
Martin Rivero (COL)
Mauro Rosales (SEA)

Subs
Rodney Wallace (POR)
Marvin Chavez (SJ)
Daniel Paladini (CHI)

Reserve
Luis Robles

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:

• 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.

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)

Rose City Clinches Playoff Spot!

Rose City 2 - 2 Gold Coast

Rose City clinched the third BSL playoff spot with a tie this week versus Gold Coast. It came down to the wire, but with many of the Flyers major players sitting out for one reason or another, Mauro Rosales delivered with two points in the final MLS game of the week.

The Flyers move into fifth in Majors Cup Qualifying, but are five points off of the CD Gunners and the Stoners. Someone is going to have to have a very bad two weeks for Reds to slip into contention there.

"I thought we played pretty well for having most of our big name guys sitting out this week," the Flyers coach pointed out. San Jose had a bye week so no Marvin Chavez or Steven Leinhart and Marco Di Vaio had returned to Italy to answer questions in the ongoing match fixing scandal there. It came down to Rosales.

"Obviously we'd like to have a stronger all around team next year," the coach said when asked about next season. "Being able to get points from anyone on the field isn't something we've excelled at and several players who were supposed to be big have been a bit of a let down. But we got the job done. It's our first season in the BSL and we'll be in the Playoffs."

Next week the Gunners come to town for another Match of the Week and provide the best opportunity this team will have to squeak into the Majors Cup as well. Either the Gunners or Pennsylvania need to lose the last two of the season and Rose City needs to win both to make it happen. Beating the Gunners in Week Twenty-one would be the way to start.

Week Twenty Lineup

Rose City is just one point from clinching a playoff spot in their first year in the BSL. Standing in their way is Gold Coast who come into the game sitting at 6-10-3. But don't be fooled. With San Jose and Chivas taking the week off, every member of the squad will have to contribute if the Flyers are to get that point.

Starters
Justin Braun
Marco Di Vaio
Kosuke Kimura
Mike Magee
Adam Moffat
Darlington Nagbe
Mauro Rosales (Captain)
C.J. Sapong
Josh Saunders (Keeper)

Subs
Steven Beitashour
Marvin Chavez
Dan Kennedy

Week Nineteen Wrap Up

Rose City 5 - 3 Second City


Rose City finished the week with an impressive win over Second City. Marco Di Vaio scored his first MLS goal and got two points in the BSL with the goal and an assist. Bringing Di Vaio in is starting to look like a really smart move from the Flyers front office. He's producing, helping the club's still low APG and will be a genuine threat all next season if the club can hang onto him. Three more points came from Rosales, the Captain, Mike Magee, and a clean sheet from Josh Saunders.

More interestingly is what's shaping up at the end of the season. Alamo City and Pennsylvania are tied in the standings with 40 points but they appear along side one another next week in the Game of the Week. This could give Rose City some room to slide into a position to threaten the Honors Trophy, but no one seems to be talking about it! It's true that these two excellent teams would need to show some bad form for the final three weeks of the season, but Rose City isn't out of it yet!

Continuing the post-season implications, a win or tie next week should clinch a playoff birth for the boys in red. They currently sit in 3rd in the Standings with 37 points and 6th in Majors Cup Qualifying with 13. The last three weeks of the season could make all the difference for the Flyers both for the Honors Trophy and a chance to participate in the Majors Cup. To that end, we look to Week Twenty.

Gold Coast visits in Week Twenty, carrying a record of 6-10-3 and 21 points. While they're not contending for a playoff spot, pride is still on the line and the team has scored at least two points in each of their last four outings. Tune in here for all the news, scores and lineups.

Keep on keepin' on!

Rose City 2 - 0 Gold Coast


The Flyers managed a win once more in the Week 11 Match of the Week over Gold Coast. The question remains though, averaging only 2.2 points per game, can they keep doing it? That's been the talk in the league as the team jumped into first in both standings and the power rankings this week.

"It's certainly not a number that I'm happy with," Rose City's coach said when asked about it. "We left another point on the bench this week with Kimura and that one's on me. He'd been getting minutes and not producing so I sat him down. In hind sight, he should have at least been the first sub. He would have made it onto the pitch then. But it's still an issue we're working on. With Di Vaio coming in in the next week or so and Rosales getting his feet under him finally, I still think we're a team that's going to get better over the next few weeks rather than worse."

Several members of the team have been underperforming as of late. Alejandro Moreno has tallied only one point all season during a week five loss. C.J. Sapong hasn't scored in several weeks either after proving central to the team's early progress. Justin Braun was also expected to provide more offense than he has, tallying a single assist so far.

So the question remains. Is Rose City the real deal? The club improved to 8-3-0 and first in both the standings and power rankings this week so for the moment it looks to be the case. That said, the Majors Cup kicks off next week providing every club a fresh start.

Look to see the Flyers try to continue their dominant streak as they once again take on the Pennsylvania Stoners in the Match of the Week. Four weeks ago, Rose City took an 8-0 thrashing by this same team and a win by the Stoners this week would put them back into first in the standings on APG alone.

Week 11 Lineup

Whew! Rose City squeaked it out last week against Alliance in a tight 1-0 victory. Dan Kennedy proved to be the deciding factor.

"We still need to get more consistent at putting points on the board," the Flyers coach offered up after practice mid-week.

Week 11 looks to be interesting with the rising Gold Coast coming to town in another Match of the Week.

Starters
Justin Braun
Marvin Chavez
Dan Kennedy (Keeper)
Mike Magee
Adam Moffat
Alejandro Moreno
Darlington Nagbe
Mauro Rosales (Captain)
C.J. Sapong

Subs
Bjorn Runstrom
Kosuke Kimura
Marco Di Vaio