2012 Year in Review

It's the end of the 2012 BSL regular season, and what a season it was! Rose City started the season off as one of the new kids and now they're a respected club, vying for the BSL Cup. The club struggled to put points on the board at times but seemed to have it when it counted. A season average of 2.5 points per game is well below the other playoff clubs but the Majors Cup Qualifying standings indicating that the club is inching toward 3 points in the second half of the season. The Flyers ended the season a respectable 13-7-2 with 41 points from regular season play. It's good enough for fourth place in the BSL and that final coveted playoff spot.

Many different players contributed to the success of the club over the long season but several stand out. Both captain Mauro Rosales and standout Marvin Chavez tallied nine points over the course of the regular season. Dan Kennedy provided six during his stint with the club; and Mike Magee, C.J. Sapong, and Darlington Nagbe all added five of their own. Late comer Marco Di Vaio tallied four himself. You'll find the total for all club contributions below. The club would have finished even better but for a few lineup failures throughout the season. Clearly the club's Front Office has some work to do to improve itself in the off season just as much as the players. Speculation is already running rampant in the Pacific Northwest as to who might stay with the club for next season as its first Designated Players.

Marvin Chavez - 9pts

Given point totals and performance when the club needed it the most, the Flyers Front Office as well as the owner and general manager are proud to announce Marvin Chavez as the first Rose City Flyers FC Most Valuable Player this year. Chavez's handiwork at feeding other player for assists made him invaluable to Rose City. His name is being discussed both inside and outside the organization as a possible 2013 Designated Player.

Mauro Rosales - 9pts

The club's captain was hurt for a good portion of the beginning of the year but more than made up for it with his prolific goal scoring and assist creating abilities. Mauro combined with just about everyone else on the Sounders roster it seems to put points on the board. His creativity on the field is a big reason why he ends the BSL regular season with nine points . He holds the captain's armband well and is also in discussion as a potential 2013 Designated Player.

Dan Kennedy - 6pts

Dan spent only part of the season with Rose City, joining the club when Bill Hamid took off for international team duty. With Hamid injured coming back, Kennedy picked up the slack and provided the team quality points when they sometimes were few and far between.

Mike Magee - 5pts

The Galaxy striker was solid if not outstanding for the team the entire season. He provided a boost to the scoreline regularly while not putting up over the top numbers. The front office suspects that Mike would put up bigger numbers on an MLS team that needed him more. The Galaxy simply have too many big names for a solid but not flashy striker to stand out.

Darlington Nagbe - 5pts

Nagbe had a hot and cold season. He started off with a point in week two and followed it up with a brace two weeks later. Then the Timbers striker/midfielder seemed to go cold. His next points come in Week 22 where he managed a goal in both games that week. The front office remains convinced that the young player has a future in both MLS and the BSL. The question remains though, will he meet his potential? The BSL playoffs and potentially next season are the only way to know for sure. 

C.J. Sapong - 5pts

Another young striker who seemed on and off this season. Sapong scored several times in the early going and then seemed to go dead. The front office would like to see Sapong again next year. Who knows whether it will happen or not?

Marco Di Vaio - 4pts

The Italian striker looks to be the real deal in both MLS and the BSL providing four points in a few short weeks for the Flyers. He's currently under investigation in Italy for any part he may have played in the ongoing match fixing scandal. Conviction could result in a one year ban but it's unknown whether that would extend to MLS play or not. If that's cleared up in a positive way, he might also be DP material.

Josh Saunders - 3pts

The club's current keeper came in when it was needed. Here's hoping he adds to his total during the playoffs.

Maicon Santos - 3pts

Santos initially appeared to be the biggest mistake Rose City could make in the early going. He was dropped from the roster in order to pick up a player who made no impact. Scoring a hat trick in his final game, he went on to add several points to games for other teams before seemingly drying up. This might still be the biggest mistake the Flyers front office made all season.

Kosuke Kimura - 1pt

The one time Colorado backline man had more points than this. The coach always seemed to put him on the bench at the wrong time.

Alejandro  Moreno - 1pt

This was the biggest disappointment of the season. The Chivas striker was supposed to be a prolific scorer for the Flyers, driving them past their competition. Instead, he turned out to be a big flop.

Bill Hamid - 1pt

A good keeper who's schedule just never seemed to line up with the Flyers. He's done well and the team wishes him all the best.

Steven Beitashour - 1pt

Adam Moffat - 1pt

Justin Braun - 1pt

Week 21 Lineup

It's all about the Majors Cup Qualifier now that Rose City has qualified for the BSL Playoffs. And that's where we get to the lineup this week. In order to qualify for the Majors Cup, the Flyers need to win their last two games of the season. They also need either the Stoners or the Gunners to lose both of their final games. It just so happens that the CD Gunners will be in town this week for another Match of the Week to battle our boys in red. This is the best chance Rose City has to make this happen. Everything else is out of their hands now.

In other news, Hamdi Salihi has been picked up in place of Dan Kennedy barring approval from the BSL Commissioner. Until approval, this lineup could change. Kennedy is a strong keeper, but the weak Chivas back line prevents him from putting up the best numbers. We thank Dan for all his hard work for the club.

Starters
Steven Beitashour
Marvin Chavez
Marco Di Vaio
Mike Magee
Adam Moffat
Mauro Rosales (Captain)
Hamdi Salihi
C.J. Sapong
Josh Saunders (Keeper)

Subs
Justin Braun
Darlington Nagbe
Kosuke Kimura

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

Mauro Returns!

Rose City 4 - 3 Alamo City

The Flyers did what some considered impossible in the Game of the Week this week, taking down a strong Alamo City side 4-3. Without the red-hot foot of Thierry Henry, the Battle were unable to put quite as many points up and Rose City took advantage. A strong performance from the whole club was required including three points from the field and the Save Point from Kennedy in the net. The big story however, was the return of Mauro Rosales. Averaging one point on the week from two separate games, there can be little doubt that the club did the right thing waiting for the big man to get healthy and return to the lineup.

"Yeah, there was some chatter both online and around the league that we should drop him to try and up our APG," the Flyers coach admitted. "Some even speculated that he wouldn't really return to form after he got back on the pitch. We've been really happy though, with his effort in the recovery and his work rate from the beginning. We were content to wait this one out knowing that he'd contribute big time when he came back."

And boy did he. Without Mauro this is a tie game and Rose City doesn't end up where it is in the tables.

"We're in a great place looking at heading into Majors Cup Qualifying," the coach said. "I'm really very happy with how the team is shaking out. They're gelling on the field and making great plays. If anything, I think we could be putting a few more in the back of the net." With Rosales back and gaining full strength, it's expected that that's just what the Flyers will be doing.

To add to the feeling of moving forward and making more strikes at goal, it appears that Rose City has won the bidding war for Marco Di Vaio, adding another dangerous pair of legs to the pitch. Di Vaio is the leading scorer for Serie A club Bologna and should quickly make his presence known in MLS and the BSL.

With this win Rose City moves to 6-3-0 and 2nd in the league tables. No other team has as many wins. Time will tell how this win effect the club's place in the BSL Power Rankings.

Week Six Results

Rose City 2 - 0 Second City

Rose City got it done once again with some quality from both inside and outside the net. They were aided by a Lineup Failure on the part of Second City, but didn't need it as they shut out Stars. Points came from Kennedy's clean sheet as well as an assist from Darlington Nagbe.



"I'm very happy with where we are at this early point in the season," the Flyers coach said. "We're an expansion club that's getting points both at home, and on the road and that's a big deal. We're averaging 2.5 points a game. That's what I'd like to improve on. All the top clubs average four to five and that's where we need to be if we really want to be considered one of the big boys. We're working on it, and it should improve on its own somewhat as we get Bill Hamid and Mauro (Rosales) back into the lineup. These guys can both bring down multiple points each game. It should help."

Rose City improves to 4-2-0 and sits in fourth place in the standings and fifth place in the Power Rankings. Next week will tell a story as the Pennsylvania Stoners come to town. The Stoners are nipping at Rose City's heels in the standings and actually sit fourth in the Power Rankings.

"It's an opportunity for us to go out there and look good and get a win against a quality opponent," the manager said. "And maybe to show whoever does those rankings how wrong they are."

Rose City Wins Again

Rose City 2 - 0 KC Quest

Rose City pulled off a win versus the expansion Quest in Week 3's Match of the Week. Standouts included Dan Kennedy's keeping and the assist from Marvin Chavez.

"We just went out, did what we could do, and played our game," Moreno, said. "That's all you ever can do. We put two in the back of the net and they didn't. That's obviously how we'd like it to always turn out, but you have to take it one game at a time, you know?"

The Flyers improve the 2-1-0 on the season with six points scored. The team finds itself in fourth place in the league and the last ranked team to have two wins. Their standings should improve in this week's Power Rankings before they face a Union SC team still looking for its first win.