Announcements

Rose City is pleased to announce the first offseason decisions for the club in 2015. Rodney Wallace will be returning to the Flyers as the club's 2015 Retention Player. His injury during the first part of the season and subsequent undrafted status make this a possibility. Wallace has been doing strong supporting work for the Flyers for two years now.

Giles Barnes - Rose City DP

In addition, Giles Barnes will be occupying one of the team's DP slots. His strong work ethic and the increased competition that the now Western Conference Houston Dynamo will face makes him a good choice to keep around. The team's second DP slot is available for trades and the team is actively looking for first and second round draft picks.

Feel free to make offers. All resources are available including player rights, allocation money, and the team's final DP slot.

EDIT: The club has just come to an agreement with the owner of the CD Gunners for the team's extra DP slot and other considerations. The deal earns the Flyers a second pick in the third round of the draft. Other resources are still available to make trades with further teams.

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

Rose City Takes Week One

Rose City 6 - 2 DC United

The Flyers continued their postseason winning ways in Week One of the Majors Cup with a 6-2 win over DC United that placed them in the first position out of Group B. Next week, Rose City takes on the Commissioner's team Union SC and a win would nearly clinch a trip to the Semis.

Scores from Giles Barnes, Maxi Urruti, Lamar Neagle, Marco Di Vaio, and a brace from Jeff Larentowicz off the bench got the Boys in Red their six points. Peguy Luyindula scored a PK that stayed on the bench.

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

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.

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 Three: Good News/Bad News

The Flyers have dropped two games to start the season. That's the bad news. More of it, it could have been a tie last week if the managers had had more faith in Larentowicz. Finally, Giles Barnes has the week off. The good news however, is this. This is Di Vaio's last game sitting out. He's back next week. In addition, Collin looks like his old self with a BSL brace last week, Penedo is back from his bye week, and Sene continues to see more play than expected. Here's this week's lineup.

Starters
Eric Alexander
Aurelien Collin
Diego Fagundez
Robbie Findley
Ned Grabavoy
Jordan Harvey
Jeff Larentowicz
Lamar Neagle
Jaime Penedo (GK)
Marcelo Sarvas
Maxi Urruti

Subs
Saer Sene
Drew Moor
Giles Barnes

Reserve
Marco Di Vaio

Week One: Lineup

The BSL Regular Season kicks off this week for a rejuvenated Rose City versus last years rookies, the Orange County Zodiac. The Flyers will be without Robbie Findley who's still working on some preseason knocks but is expected to be back soon. In addition, Marco Di Vaio will be sitting the first three games of the season due to the red card he earned during the fracas at the end of Montreal's only playoff game last year.

There's no better time for the team to step up and show that this year's version of the Flyers is a three dimensional team. Expect some combination of Giles Barnes, Diego Fagundez, Jaime Penedo, and Aurelien Collin to do the heavy lifting with perhaps some other names showing up in the box score as well. The lineup is as follows.

Lineup
Eric Alexander (NY)
Giles Barnes (HOU)
Aurelien Collin (SKC)
Diego Fagundez (C - NE)
Ned Grabavoy (RSL)
Jordan Harvey (VAN)
Jeff Laurentowicz (CHI)
Lamar Neagle (SEA)
Jaime Penedo (GK - LA)
Marcelo Sarvas (LA)
Maxi Urruti (POR)

Subs
Drew Moor (COL)
Marco Di Vaio (MTL)
Robbie Findley (RSL)

Reserve
Saer Sene (NE)

C - Captain
GK - Keeper

Season Preview: Analyzing the Draft

The draft is over and the BSL season is preparing to kick off on March eighth along with MLS. Rose City will face last year's newbies Orange County in Week One and the Boys in Red are prepared to bring it. First though, let's take a look at the draft through the eyes of the Flyers coach.

Rose City's draft this year is almost certainly the best group put together to kick off a season in the three years the Flyers have been around. The inaugural draft class was downright bad as has been noted here and elsewhere. The first pick produced one point all season and the BSL Cup was won by the tireless work of guys who came on board in the middle of the season. Perhaps more important than anyone else from that group is Marco Di Vaio who still occupies one of Rose City's DP slots. Year two was a stronger class on paper, but too large a percentage of the picks spent time on the bench injured, especially at the beginning of the year. Guys like Alan Gordon and Martin Rivero, while having a strong pedigree didn't see the field often enough to make the impact they needed to.

This year's class appears to be different. There are a few risks that were taken in full knowledge, but, top to bottom, the group is far more capable of scoring goals in large quantities than any Flyers team before.

Marco Di Vaio (F - MTL) - The headliner, club favorite, member of the old guard. Di Vaio challenged for the Golden Boot in MLS last season, putting twenty goals in the net and he's expected to do it again. It may be Marco's last season of professional soccer, but he's still got it when it comes to finding space, hanging off a defender's shoulder, and putting it on frame. Look for him to put up numbers for Rose City.

Diego Fagundez

Diego Fagundez (F - NE) - The newcomer, the kid, the hope for the future. Fagundez is only nineteen, but he's already proven that he knows what he's doing. He scored twenty points in the BSL last year, just two short of Di Vaio, and he's the main target for the attack in New England. He's got a nose for goal and an entire, well improved New England team looking to get him the ball in dangerous spaces. Look for him to put up significant numbers this season and to stay with the Flyers for a long time to come.

Maxi Urruti (F - POR) - The wildcard. Urruti spent part of last season with Toronto before moving to Portland and joining the Timbers' forward corps. He scored just once. But he hasn't played anything close to a full season yet. With Ryan Johnson now plying his trade in China, Urruti is the closest thing the Timbers have to a target forward. Look for him to either be scoring big goals already or out on his ass inside of two months.

Giles Barnes

Giles Barnes (M - HOU) - The stalwart. Barnes isn't a forward, but that didn't stop him from being worth thirteen BSL points last season. He remains a steady rock in the midfield for Houston, one of MLS' most consistent teams. Look for him to make up for others when someone has a bye week or has to step out for a slight knock. He'll most likely be there all season long, chugging away. This guy was a steal for the fourth round.

Saer Sene (F - NE) - The risk. Sene won't be suiting up at the start of the season. He's still recovering from the horrific injury he suffered in the box last October. You're unlikely to see him in the Starting XI until at least May but, unlike the entire broken roster of last season, the Flyers are okay waiting this one out. He was good for ten points in just 1200 minutes last season so, if he even comes close to repeating that performance once he's back the risk will have been worth it. He was picked up very late.

Jaime Penedo (GK - LA) - The brick wall. Penedo rolled into LA last season and saved the Galaxy from themselves (and Carlo Cudicini). He performed well and, with a solid back line of guys like DeLaGarza and Gonzo in front of him and a full preseason with his team behind him, look for a lot of clean sheet points. No more keeper juggling for the Flyers. He was taken in Round Five while most others waited two or even three rounds later to pick up their netminders for just this reason.

Robbie Findley

Eric Alexander (M - RSL), Robbie Findley (M - RSL), Ned Grabavoy (M - RSL), Lamar Neagle (F - SEA), Marcelo Sarvas (M - LA), Jeff Larentowicz (M - CHI) - The boys. These guys are the meat of the club. They aren't flashy (though they all could become so, potentially) and they don't put up the numbers of guys that go in the first or second round but each of these guys are a threat to contribute to the scoreline any given week. This is a major improvement for Rose City who's previous rosters had a lot more chaff than this. Expect a higher APG this season mostly because of these guys right here. If anyone turns into a superstar, expect it to be Neagle, who had twelve BSL points last season. If anything stops him it'll be chemistry with Seattle's much turned-over roster.

Aurelien Collin (D - SKC), Jordan Harvey (D - VAN), Drew Moor (D - COL) - The defense. These three defenders all regularly get shots on goals or assists and, occasionally, will tap one in themselves on a set piece or a lucky sitter. They have the quality to cross into the box on the attack and pick up assists that way. They're also all extremely important to their teams. Collin did well enough last season to be Rose City's Retention selection. Expect them to see a lot of minutes. Don't look for them to score a lot, but every point counts.

Even the filler here, for lack of a better term, is of a higher quality than any previous Rose City team. Everyone has made a mark on the league and provides contributions to their home clubs. Even more importantly, they all saw regular minutes last season and, though that can sometimes change, it's an important starting place. You won't ever score points if you don't see the field. Were there guys who got away? Sure. That's the nature of the draft. However, there's a solid club here. Every season requires luck as well as skill, but this is a good jumping off point. There's a team in the now and some eyes cast toward the future as well. Look for Rose City to compete again. Sophomore slumps are for sophomores. If that's really true, look for a win over the Zodiac this coming weekend.

Flyers Looking Strong in Draft

Flyers add Urruti, Barnes, and Findley in First Four Rounds

After finishing the preseason with three very strong players, Rose City has come out of the gates and added a ton more quality with their first three draft picks. Added to the roster are Houston stalwart Giles Barnes, USMNT player Robbie Findley, and Timbers front man Maxi Urruti.

Of the three, Urruti is the biggest risk, scoring only one goal in his short time in the league last season. However, he's looked strong in preseason play, is well fitted for Caleb Porter's possession and pressure offense, and has now had an entire preseason to mesh with his teammates. Everyone in the Timbers' front four should put up big numbers in assists and goals this season.

Barnes and Findley are more known quantities. Both have EPL experience and put up numbers regularly. Barnes finished the previous BSL season with 13 points and Findley had eight. Both are important parts of their teams' attacking strength and both are proven to be dangerous.

The draft is going well, with plenty of strong performing players left to pick up in the next few rounds. Check back here for more.