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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

Flyers Start Majors Cup Qualifying 2-0

Rose City 5 - 3 Union SC

The Flyers maintained their dominant form versus the League Commissioner's team this week with a 5 - 3 win. Five different players put a point on the board and that was all while both Fagundez and Collin were held quiet. Speaking of Collin, the already beat up SKC centerback left his game after less than ten minutes of play this week with an apparent hamstring issue. The severity remains to be seen, but Rose City is likely without their local bruiser for at least a week or two. With that in mind it's even better news that the entire team seems to be finding its form.

It couldn't be coming at a better time either with Second City coming to town early in the week. They trail the Flyers only on APG in the standings, though they're back several spots in the MCQ table. Still, if the Boys in Red are serious about turning around their season (and they've put good effort into it), a win over Second City is going to be required.

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.

Flyers on a Winning Streak

Rose City 5 - 2 Pennsylvania Stoners

Rose City's officially on a winning streak. Two wins in a row in convincing fashion leave a big question about upcoming Majors Cup Qualifying. Can the Flyers actually play spoiler in the second half of the season? It all starts next week with a rapid rematch versus the Spartans who should be out for blood after the Flyers killed their shot at the record books.

Things are Looking Up

Rose City 3 - 1 Union SC

The Flyers extended their all time lead versus the Commissioner's club this week to 4-1-0. That's about as good as the news should have gotten for the Boys in Red. However, the club's late challenge to the result versus Gold Coast last week (originally recorded as a 1-1 draw) was successful after MLS awarded Lamar Neagle credit for what had originally been ruled an own goal. That lifts the Rose City to 2-2-0 this season with six points and a chance to be relevant.

The team's 2.2 APG could use some work but the win this week dragged them up to eighth place. That's the highest ranking so far this season and higher than the team finished in 2013. Still, there's a long way to go and a lot of games to play. Getting that APG up, keeping points in the box score instead of on the bench, and figuring out who's not seeing the playing time they were expected to is going to be the trick now. A point has been left on the bench three weeks in a row now. Versus the Union it didn't change the outcome, but last week (before the call reversal) it would have changed a draw to a win and the week before a loss would have been a draw. When asked, the Flyers GM had this to say.

"We've set ourselves up for a new problem this year. There is very little chaff in our 2014 draft group so figuring out who of the five or six guys near the bottom of the pecking order are going to sit any given week gets interesting. When no one is injured and every MLS team plays it's kind of drawing straws based on who's looked good recently. And with guys like this, every one of them will contribute five or six to the scoreboard by the end of the season. Not missing those points because they've maybe not produced in the last couple of weeks is tricky."

The real elephant in the room at this point is the crickets emanating from the spot big offseason signing Diego Fagundez is supposed to be occupying. The Revolution only just scored their first goal this week so something is going on with their team.

"We have faith in Diego," the GM offered. "You don't bag 20 BSL goals at the age of nineteen on a fluke. He'll get it sorted out and when he does, this team will be a lot more dangerous." The young Revolution striker has played all but one available minute for his MLS team so far and has twelve shots with five on goal. It would appear that everything is going right except the finishing. Look for that to change, 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)

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.

Flyers 4 - 2 Second City

Flyers 4 - 2 Second City

Second City is now 0-4 versus the Flyers all time and the matchup is starting to look like one the Stars will worry about every time it comes up on the schedule. In a dramatic game this weekend, the Flyers faced down the Stars and jumped them in the league table as well, putting the Boys in Red in fifth overall. This is an especially encouraging result given that Di Vaio, Bernier, and Rosales all sat out this week due to MLS byes and minor injury. Points came from Rivero and Chavez along with Zach McMath's Clean Sheet/Save Point double.

Chavez goes 1 on 1.

"The club has really developed some depth in the last month or so and now that our injury issues are mostly in the past, we can take anyone, anywhere. We've shown that anyone on the team can score from Captain Rosales to guys like Wallace and Collin. Top of the table, here we come!" the Flyers coach exclaimed in an exuberant press conference after the match. Rose City started slow this year, sitting as low as tenth place in the league before the boys found their form and their health.

Now comes the hard part. The Flyers picked up nine points in the last three weeks off the backs of some of the league's less excellent teams as they needed to. Now comes back to back games against Burud Town and the league-leading Alamo City. If Rose City can find a way to get at least four points from those two games they should be contending for the playoffs and looking good in the Majors Cup standings as well. It's crunch time.

Edit: In addition, pending league approval, Rose City is dropping David Estrada and picking up Eric Hassli.

Rose City Strikes it Lucky

Rose City 4 - 3 Stoners

In a week where Marco Di Vaio failed to find the back of the net and Patrice Bernier saw only 17' on the field after playing the full 90' against Toronto in the Canadian Championship Semis earlier in the week, the Flyers hit it lucky. Rose City captain, Mauro Rosales produced his first two points of the season with a goal and an assist against the Philadelphia Union.

Rosales scores his first two of the season.

That wouldn't be all the fireworks out of that game however. Between Rosales' two points, Danny Cruz put two in the back of the net in the space of as many minutes. Left as the first sub this week, the front office for the Flyers wondered if those points would show up. As a final flourish to a game that ended 10 on 9, DeAndre Yedlin earned his first professional red card with a rough and pointless tackle on Michael Farfan automatically pushing Danny Cruz into the BSL field of play. Four points for the Flyers appeared in just ninety minutes on the field between two teams and three players.

The Stoners would valiantly battle back including a goal from the stone cold C.J. Sapong and an assist from his KC teammate Paulo Nagamura. Fortunately for the Boys in Red, the final goal wouldn't come. Robbie Keane wouldn't see the eighteen against Houston and neither Will Bruin nor Marcelo Sarvas could find the net.

Week Nine: Getting Results

Rose City 6 - 5 Gateway United

Rose City finally lived up to its potential this season by dropping six points on Gateway United. The win evened up the lifetime series versus the Saints at 2-2-0 and marks the second high-scoring game in a row versus them after a 7-0 drubbing in the playoff semis last season.

Points came from everywhere this weekend showing that the team is built to score in a much more spectacular fashion than had been previously shown. A goal from Marco Di Vaio is expected and a save point from McMath is nice but the real story here is Rodney Wallace and Aurelien Collin. Both of these gentlemen were undrafted at the beginning of the season but steady minutes from Sporting and the Timbers respectively have made them plenty dangerous. Collin scored last week and Wallace has been threatening with several lasers from distance for a week or two as well. Three points of Collin was the crowning glory this weekend.

Collin celebrates his BSL hattrick.

This team is finally getting to where it should have been all season. Martin Rivero saw his first minutes of the season versus Houston this week, Marvin Chavez is finally back to full strength, and Alan Gordon has two more weeks on his slur induced suspension. It looks like this team really will hit the ground running for the second half of the season  and make a good challenge for a spot in the Majors Cup. The next two weeks are forgiving as well. Week ten features last season's nemesis the Pennsylvania Stoners still sitting in last place at 1-7-1. The week after sees Capital District come to town who at 1-5-3 are having what the league discribes as a "nightmare season". If the Boys in Red can take six points off of these two teams and head into the second half of the season on a three game winning streak and on sixteen points overall, it's reasonable to think they might just still be in it.

Rose City 1 - 1 Zodiac

Rose City continues to have trouble putting enough points on the board to squeak out wins but perhaps a tie versus the usually high scoring Zodiac was the most to be hoped for this week. Aurelien Collin showed his class with his score this week and he'll need to do even more for this team to pull itself out of the cellar.

Collin asks for some supporter input.

The last few weeks have been rough, ending up on the wrong side of a pair of 2-1 results. In many ways, this season mirrors the last except with Rose City on the wrong side. Last year's Championship team stayed on the right side of the table in the early-mid season by winning several one point games.

The lack of a solid keeper continues to plague the Flyers even after acquiring Luis Robles and though Patrice Bernier has been a big addition, Jack McInerney is making his own statement playing for someone else. Someone needs to start scoring consistently (and bye weeks need to be more forgiving). Marvin Chavez got his first look at the field this week and seemed solid enough that a start for his next match seems likely. Alan Gordon remains suspended and won't be back for three more weeks.

All in all, the Flyers have had some of the worst luck of any team this season. However, building the team on the backs of a bunch of broken players was perhaps not the best strategy to begin with. The next three weeks are games against Gateway, Pennsylvania, and Capital District who are all having rough seasons themselves. Perhaps it's time for the Boys in Red to go collect some points.

Flyers Fall, Week Five

Rose City 2 - 3 Burud Town

The Flyers are no longer perfect versus Burud Town. A close match in which some new members of the team got on the board didn't end the way Rose City wanted. Still struggling with injuries to several key pieces, the Flyers are still averaging two points a game. While not great, that's going to keep the team in the running until the rest of the team gets back to fitness. Once the full force is available you can expect a fight to the end versus anyone and everyone in the league.

Week Six features a match against Alliance who are also on six points. Their PPG is slightly lower, but it remains an interesting match. The winner is likely to move up in the standings while the loser continues to fight for a grip.