Flyers Win, Add to Trophy Case

Rose City 4 - 3 Union SC

If Marco Di Vaio has been less spectacular as the DP and Captain for Rose City this year than last there are a lot of reasons. He's started fewer games overall but he's just not put up the same numbers. For a guy who ended last season on 20 MLS goals to not even be in double digits makes for a lot more work for a team that was expecting a lot from him. But none of that mattered this week. Di Vaio's brace was the deciding difference between the Flyers and the Union in what's certainly the two sides' closest matchup in quite some time.

"Yeah. I think it's fitting," the Flyers manager said when asked after the game. "We're playing in the championship. We're clearly both strong clubs and it came down to the wire. Marco's retiring at the end of the season and so, to go out like that with a brace for the club feels right."

The Rose City built up what seemed an insurmountable 4-0 lead by Saturday only to have the Union come roaring back. Three unanswered scores left the result in doubt until, with the last MLS game of the week featuring zero Union SC players, the result was locked in.

In addition to Di Vaio, Giles Barnes scored in both of Houston's games (only one counts) and Rodney Wallace pushed one in for Portland vs San Jose. The Flyers remain undefeated in postseason play and successfully swept the 2014 Majors Cup 5-0-0 becoming the first club (BSL or MLS) to win a Majors Cup by winning every game of the tournament.

2014 Majors Cup Champions - Rose City

Majors Cup Final Preview and Lineup

This is it. It's the last week of the season for absolutely everybody and it's all on the line for the Flyers versus the commissioner's team, Union SC. Each team has a BSL Cup to their name (2012, and 2010 respectively) but only one can add hardware to the case.

Rose City has done very well historically against Union and have to be considered the favorites going in. They've scored more points every week of this tournament and bested the opposition 3-1 in the group stage. Including that win, the Boys in Red are 3-0 vs the Union this year and 6-1-0 all time. Don't expect that to change. The Flyers are a perfect 4-0-0 in the Majors Cup so far, and undefeated in postseason play.

On a lighter note, this does look like it will be Marco Di Vaio's final match in the BSL. The team thanks him for his contribution the past two years and wishes him all the best.

Starters
Eric Alexander
Giles Barnes
DaMarcus Beasley
Marco Di Vaio (C)
Jordan Harvey
Jeff Larentowicz
Peguy Luyindula
Lamar Neagle
Jaime Penedo (GK)
Maxi Urruti
Rodney Wallace

Subs
Aurelien Collin
Jair Benitez
Diego Fagundez


Reserve
Drew Moor

Rose City Advances to Finals

Rose City 6 - 3 Orange County

After dropping both games against Orange County this season by one point, the Flyers showed up in the Majors Cup Semifinal. Outscoring the opposition 6-3 in a game where they trailed by two for a long period, they remain undefeated in postseason play and now stand 4-0-0 in this year's edition.

Six points came off of strong play by the full group including braces from late season superhero Rodney Wallace and low round draft pick Jeff Larentowicz. Jaime Penedo added a save point as well as an assist from the hard working Lamar Neagle.

Rose City will now advance to it's first Majors Cup Final alongside first time finalist Union SC. They've only lost to the Commissioner's team once in their three years in the league and have already bested them three times this season including a battle two weeks ago in the group stages. Once again, a BSL club will take home the hardware. Look for it to be Rose City.

Majors Cup Semifinals

The Semi-Final game is vs the BSL's Orange County Zodiac. Like all teams from California, they deserve no quarter!

Starters
Eric Alexander
Giles Barnes
DaMarcus Beasley
Marco Di Vaio
Jordan Harvey
Jeff Larentowicz
Peguy Luyindula
Lamar Neagle (C)
Jaime Penedo (GK)
Maxi Urruti
Rodney Wallace

Subs
Diego Fagundez
Jair Benitez
Aurelien Collin

Reserve
Drew Moor

Flyers Sweep Group Stage

Rose City 4 - 0 New York Red Bulls

Rose City kept their unbeaten postseason streak alive and got out of their group at 3-0-0 to earn the top seed after they took down the New York Red Bulls this week. That's now five postseason games that the Flyers have participated in, and they've come out on top in all of them. Staying that way though is about to become a very tall challenge.

The Flyers will face the recently crowned Honors Trophy Champion OC Zodiac in the Semis and their championship is no fluke. The team is packing guys like Dom Dwyer, Gyasi Zardes, and Kelyn Rowe who all threaten to score (sometimes more than once) a week. It could also be argued that the Flyers' group was the weaker of the two. Both the Zodiac and the other team to make it out of Group A, Sporting KC have higher APGs for their Majors Cup run than Rose City does.

It's always great to be in the postseason but pretending that a loss in the Semis would be okay isn't really correct. It's going to sting if the Flyers go down, but you can bet they'll not go down without a fight.

Majors Cup Week Three: Pushing for the Semis

The last week of the Majors Cup group stage is here and, as previously written, the Flyers are likely to advance. It'd take some seriously bad luck to not get there. Still, a win isn't assured against an often high scoring team like the New York Energy Drinks.

Starters
Eric Alexander
Giles Barnes
DaMarcus Beasley
Aurelien Collin
Marco Di Vaio (C)
Jeff Larentowicz
Peguy Luyindula
Lamar Neagle
Jaime Penedo (GK)
Maxi Urruti
Rodney Wallace

Subs
Diego Fagundez
Jordan Harvey
Jair Benitez

Reserve
Drew Moor

Rose City Remains Undefeated in Postseason Play

Rose City 3 - 1 Union SC

The Boys in Red topped Union SC 3 - 1 in Majors Cup play this week. They move to 6-1-0 all-time versus the Commissioner's team, remain undefeated in all postseason play, and now control their Majors Cup group.

"The play was really superb," the Flyers coach offered when prompted today during the team's cool-down session. "But we've got a lot of work to do still. We're not even definitely in to the Semis yet."

It's true, too. Some unfortunate results down the table mean that while the Flyers are in the driver's seat and could advance even with a loss next week, they're not through just yet. Beyond that, the field is chock full of teams pouring on five, six, or more points seemingly every week. The other side of the table is now resolved and both teams that are going through, Sporting KC and the OC Zodiac, are standing on a better PPG than the Rose City.

"PPG has never been our strongest statistical area," the coach said. "But this game is almost as much luck as anything else. Getting to the Semis and then winning the Cup will involve a bit of it. Maybe we'll go off or perhaps one of our opponents will have an off week. All we can do is play our best at this point and be proud of what we've accomplished this season."

Next week the team faces the New York Red Bulls, that ugly morass of marketing hubris, who have one more goal in the competition to date than the Flyers. It's going to be a close one for sure but the Boys in Red have done most of the hard work already. The dice are weighted heavily in their favor regardless of results.

Majors Cup Week Two

Week Two features the Commissioner's own Union SC who the Flyers are 5-1-0 all time against. Will this be the usual beatdown or will a Union team that has looked stronger this season fight for their first piece of hardware in a long time? Expect this one to be a fun ride. Hold on.

Starters
Eric Alexander
Giles Barnes
DaMarcus Beasley
Marco Di Vaio
Diego Fagundez
Jeff Larentowiz
Peguy Luyindula
Lamar Neagle
Jaime Penedo (GK)
Maxi Urruti
Rodney Wallace

Subs
Jordan Harvey
Jair Benitez
Aurelien Collin


Reserve
Drew Moor

Majors Cup Week One vs DC United

Ahh. The Flyers are back in the postseason. This is a first too. In two previous seasons the team hasn't performed strongly enough after the break to make the Majors Cup but here we are. Week one is versus a streaking DC United team that, none the less puts up relatively few points it seems week in and week out. They're far more likely to win by shutting out the opponent and that's not strictly and option versus Rose City.

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

Subs
Jeff Larentowicz
Peguy Luyindula
Jair Benitez


Reserve
Drew Moor

Week Fourteen: Five Alive

Rose City 3 - 2 Second City

What a way to go into the World Cup break. Rose City has won five in a row, although this time it took a little luck with Second City's game tying goal from Soony Saad left on the bench to make it happen. Play doesn't resume until the 25th and the question is this: will the Flyers be as good after that much downtime?

Let's focus on the here and now though. Rose City's grit has moved them into range of being relevant, not just to the Majors Cup where they're in a solid second, but the Playoffs as well. They currently sit sixth on that table and are just two points of of being in playoff contention. Add on that the first week post-World Cup is as near to a freebie as it gets in this league vs the Toffees and things look good.

Check back in for all the fun once the World Cup is complete. USMNT all the way.

Starting of the Back Half Right

Rose City 4 - 1 Spartans 1612

The Flyers just handed the Spartans their third loss in as many weeks and is definitely having an effect on the league if only by making them much easier to catch for the rest of the top table teams. But enough of that.

What's more important is that the Boys in Red are on a three game winning streak. What's more important is, more play like the last few weeks could put them in a position to threaten the playoffs. What's more important is that the Flyers are currently sitting in third for Majors Cup Qualifying. The team has never played in the Majors Cup and it's a big goal for the squad. One week in, you can't ever tell how things will play out, but getting a win in week one of qualifying is the best way to start. Look for next week's lineup soon.

Week Seventeen: The Rebound

The Flyers were absolutely destroyed last week by the Commissioner's Own Union SC by a score of 9-1. It can't really be helped. The Union had been averaging 2.1 ppg for the season and suddenly, every role player on their squad found their form at the same time.

"It happens in this game," Rose City's manager said after the game. "It was impressive. I wish it hadn't happened to us in the middle of a playoff chase, but what can you do? You've got to keep your highs low and your lows high and focus on the game in front of you."

And boy what a doozy it is. This week's matchup against the Spartans is a six pointer for the Flyers. 1612 sits just one place above Rose City in the league table and while a win last week would have made this the go-ahead game, three points paired with denying the Spartans three at the same time would go a long way toward buying the Boys in Red a playoff spot for the second straight year. For that matter, Alamo City could have finished them off last week too, but no. Make no mistake about it, the results this week could make or break Rose City's drive to once again find the playoffs. In addition Majors Cup Qualifying has been tight this season and the loss last week did no favors there either.

Finally, expect something of a "B" squad from the Flyers this week. Sure, a lot of the top names are there, but Gold Cup callups and a couple of injuries have made things more awkward than they need to be.

EDIT: In addition, given league approval, the team would like to acquire Jalil Anibaba (CHI) and drop Eric Hassli (DAL). If the transaction is approved, Anibaba will hold Hassli's assigned spot in the lineup.

Starters
Patrice Bernier (MTL)
Teal Bunbury (SKC)
Jaime Castrillon (COL)
Aurelien Collin (SKC)
Danny Cruz (PHI)
Marco Di Vaio (MTL)
Alan Gordon (SJ)
Eric Hassli (DAL)
Daniel Paladini (CHI)
Luis Robles (NY)
Mauro Rosales (SEA)

Subs
Martin Rivero (COL)
Rodney Wallace (POR)
Marvin Chavez (SJ)

Reserve
Zach McMath (PHI)

Week Sixteen: Flyers vs. Union

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)

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.

Shootout in B-Town

Rose City 5 - 5 Burud Town

This week's match turned out to be a track meet. Rose City jumped out quickly with a hat-trick from Marco Di Vaio. Contributions from Bernier and Rodney Wallace drove the score to five. Unfortunately, Burud Town got two points from their quebecois player as well in Andrew Wenger. Couple that with another strong week from Colorado rookie Deshorn Brown and some fancy footwork from David Ferreira and we were tied at five going into Sunday. Rose City had hope that Mauro Rosales would play the hero, but Seattle were undone dramatically in their own 4-1 loss to the LA Galaxy.

Hat-trick Hero.

The result isn't the greatest but one point is better than none. Other results this week put Rose City five points back of both third and fourth place and let Second City jump them on the table again. The good news is that Second City is only one point ahead and that next week's opponent is Alamo City who've been trading between first and second place all season. A win there could do some good in climbing into the playoff picture. Finally, the draw puts the Flyers in third place in Majors Cup Qualifying with a 1-0-1 record and a 4.5apg.

Week Thirteen: Cracking the Playoffs

The next two or three games are especially important in the Rose City. A strong showing now could shove the Flyers into the playoff positions if they keep racking up points and improving on their already solid APG. It all starts this week with the season's second match versus Burud Town who currently own third place. Add in the fact that there's just five points separating the two teams and this one has consequences.

The Flyers currently own the lifetime series 2-1 but the Stags won the last meeting 3-2 after an injury riddled Rose City team came storming back to tie most of the way through the week. However, a lot has changed in the Flyers camp since Week Five. Since then, Alan Gordon has returned (and left and returned again) to the pitch as have Marvin Chavez and Martin Rivero. Daniel Paladini, Danny Cruz, and the newest pickup Eric Hassli have all donned the Red for the first time since that week five match as well. Mauro Rosales and the Sounders have (re)discovered what scoring is. And finally, Rodney Wallace has begun receiving major minutes for the Timbers and has proven to be the potent weapon no one but he, the Costa Rican national team, and apparently Caleb Porter knew he could be. All in all, this is a different team than the Stags saw just a few short weeks ago and that's a good thing because playoff positions are starting to firm up and competition for the Majors Cup began last week as well.

In addition, pending league approval, the Flyers will be dropping Michael Harrington (POR) and picking up Jaime Castrillon (COL). If approved, appropriate edits will be made to the roster before game time.

Starters
Patrice Bernier (MTL)
Danny Cruz (PHI)
Marvin Chavez (SJ)
Aurelien Collin (SKC)
Marco Di Vaio (MTL)
Alan Gordon (SJ)
Eric Hassli (DAL)
Zach McMath (PHI)
Martin Rivero (COL)
Mauro Rosales (SEA)
Rodney Wallace (POR)

Subs
Daniel Paladini (CHI)
Jaime Castrillon (COL)
Kekuta Manneh (VAN)

Reserves
Luis Robles (NY)